Kenya to declare national emergency over drought
Fri Jan 9, 2009 8:55pm IST
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya said on Friday it would declare a national emergency over a drought that has left 10 million (Kenya's total population is roughly 34 million) people needing food aid in East Africa's richest nation.
The arid, northern areas are the worst hit in Kenya by a drought that is causing hardship around the East and Horn of Africa, particularly Somalia and Ethiopia.
"The Government is to declare a National Emergency in regard to the prevailing drought and famine situation in the country that has rendered nearly ten million Kenyans food insecure," said a statement from President Mwai Kibaki's office.
The statement said a food security committee chaired by Kibaki had also resolved to begin importing an additional 5 million bags of maize to cater for a shortfall in Kenya caused largely by the crisis of early 2007, when an outbreak of violence over a disputed election killed 1,300 people and drove 300,000 from their homes.
"President Kibaki told the food security committee that the entire Government must focus on the urgency of providing food to all Kenyans after the failed rains in the last two seasons and reduced production due to last year's post-election challenges."
Measures would include providing water, famine packages, subsidised fertilisers and seeds, hay for animals, and tractors for farmers, the statement said.
2 comments:
An email to Darleen Johnson from Vitalice Kahendah (Darleen is widely regarded as mom by all Hopewellians and unarguably the angel of Hopewell...Darleen and her husband Johnny have done numerous things for Hopewell and the surrounding community...I can not state how important she is to Hopewell and how much of an impact on the world she has made...I look up to her immensely!)
Hello mom
I am emailing George at AGR now to find out more about the farm and when it should start. This and the farm to be hired elsewhere may turn out to be the most important projects at Hopewell this year. Hunger has started biting so hard in virtually all parts of Kenya. 2 people died in Muranga South (Central Province of Kenya) yesterday and the president has declared the Food Shortage a national emergency. 10 million Kenyans are staring starvation in the face and these include 1.5 million children under the school feeding program, 2.5 million people suffering from HIV and AIDS who need adequate nutritious food to support the Ant-Retroviral Therapy they are undergoing,2.5 million urban poor(the entire Hopewell family),2.5 million orphans and Orphans &Children Under Difficult Circumstances(a large portion of our students fall in this category). An intensive farm project will help mitigate against the adverse effects of this famine. There was a television footage yesterday of a mother feeding her 5 children on a small piece of ugali with salt water as stew. These are the consequences of failed political leadership that led to political violence last year…….this hindered farmers from plowing their fields and there is nothing to harvest now.
We made 17 additional beds from the funds you sent in November and all these beds are being used at the new facility for girls. Kiptenden hostel is a 5-minute walk from Hopewell(just at the shopping centre where we pass before reaching Hopewell). The same proprietor is using an adjacent housing block to accommodate boys although boys are usually few…only 10 at the moment. There is a matron living with the girls and good security. Boys are spreading their mattresses down and any additional girls joining the hostel will do the same.
The dormitory block left vacant is being converted into the Vocational Training Unit. The SOAR equipment had been kept at Rashid’s nearby and has already been brought to school. These include 2 sewing machines, assorted carpentry tools and 20 laptop computers. Most of the other stuff was books and clothing.
The new uniform you bought for the junior school will be issued tomorrow. I will be asking Mary to use the $500 she had intended for uniforms for the new vocational division which needs equipment and furniture. Don and Mary are already committed to helping operationalise this newest addition to Hopewell’s programs.
Nelly, Rashid and I will be having a meeting with the Werners and Hoffmans to put forth our plans for the year so that each group of our friends and development partners can select what is most appropriate to them. This will help prevent any overlapping of efforts and ensure that the slightest of efforts yields maximum returns.
I am glad you agree with our doing away with the boarding section. It was an additional headache and was taking a toll on all of us. With your nod on this decision, I can sit pretty and run the typical community school we set out to do.
Be blessed this Sunday.
Vitalice
Now for my thoughts...
I have emailed Vitalice today regarding what we (Wrestling the World/International Villages)can do to help...
I have ideas...what about you?
There is a local Rotary connection called Kids Against Hunger that has the ability to send food...we are working on that as I type with the help of some friendly Rotarians.
In addition, I am sure additional money will be needed to help Hopewell cope during this time...
How else can we mobilize so that our friends wont need to suffer the health affects of severe hunger?
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