AFRICA/KENYA - Aid for drought affected people is coming but more is needed to save 11 million people in east Africa at starvation risk

Tuesday, 28 March 2006

Nairobi (Fides Service)- Kenya has started a cereal import programme to help feed 5 million hungry people in the north east of the country. This was announced by President Mwai Kibaki who said food supplies distributed so far were purchased from local farmers but since local cereal reserves will last only until June cereal must now be imported.
International solidarity has mobilised to provide aid for drought victims in Kenya. The UN World Food Programme said it has collected enough funds to provide food for 3.5 million Kenyans.
The European Commission has offered 5 million Euro, (more than 6 million US dollars) for Kenyans suffering from food shortage, in particular 500,000 school children in northern Kenya.
The International Red Cross has said that 15.4 million dollars worth of food is needed immediately to save people in east Africa from dying of starvation . Not only Kenya is at risk. An estimated 1 million people all over east Africa are threatened by the consequences of the worst drought in the last decade which is devastating the region.
Besides Kenya, also Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Djibouti and Sudan are affected. In north east Kenya hundreds have already died of hunger or related diseases mainly; and livestock the only hope for survival for many affected people especially nomads has been decimated.
The Red Cross programme aims to provide basic aid to about one million people in Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Burundi for a period of 6 to 12 months. However all the many humanitarian organisations engaged in a great effort to face the needs of the tragedy in east Africa - starting with UN agencies - say the amount of aid given so far is not sufficient.
In February the government of Kenya, UN agencies and local NGOs said 245 million dollars must be collected to feed starving drought affected peoples. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 28/3/2006 righe 34 parole 426)


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