Christian Organisations Seek to Aid Kenya Famine

|TOP|As the famine in Kenya continues to deteriorate due to rain shortage, Christian organisations like Food for the Hungry and the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK), respond with awareness and support.

Food for the Hungry International’s (FHI) Keith Wright says, "It's accelerating as people lose more and more livestock. That's really what they rely on for food, and as they die they really run out of resources quickly when that happens. So, what we're seeing, unfortunately, the situation getting worse every day," says Wright.

According to the Information and Communications Minister Mutahi Kagwe, the number of Kenyans at risk from the food crisis has increased to 3.5 million, up from 2.5 million.

|AD|FHI is currently working with the local church to provide aid. “We are ramping up food aid for the most vulnerable, which that number has increased, and we're hoping to prevent that from getting to the drastic measures we saw in Ethiopia," Wright says.

On the other side, the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) continues to stress the importance and need for the Maasai, semi-nomadic people who live under a communal system in southern Kenya, to adapt to the change in climate of poor rainy seasons.

“They understand they must change”, said Rose Muthama, a programme officer with ACK. “But it is a slow process – the Maasai have been pastoralists for generations. However, they are accepting change. Education for their children is now very important and this has encouraged them to try farming.”

ACK is currently helping farmers to switch to more drought-resistant crops such as millet, sorghum and cassava.