Responding to Kenya's hunger crisis - May 2018

More than 240,000 people were reached in May 2018 through World Vision's response to food insecurity and flooding throughout Kenya. The response team reached: 

• 240,408 people with food security and livelihood activities
• 121,687 people with clean water and sanitation services
• 76,344 peole with nutrition assistance
• 24,910 people with education programmes
• 19,506 people with protection assistance
• 8,062 people with shelter and other essential relief items

Still, there's more to do. 

World Vision remains concerned that: 

• After months of a devastating drought, many of the same areas have now been inundated with flooding. An estimated 800,000 people have been affected by the flooding countrywide. Even after the floodwater disappears, families who lost livestock and crops during the drought will struggle to rebound as they have no seeds, livestock nor means to earn an income.
• Homes damaged or destroyed: An estimated 300,000 people have been forced to flee their homes due to flooding in Kenya and have sought shelter on higher ground. Many remain in makeshift tents and require urgent humanitarian assistance.
• The combination of displacement from flooding, destroyed crops and waterborne disease outbreaks, is likely to affect children’s health and could lead to higher malnutrition rates.
• More than 332,000 school children have missed classes and exams as 739 schools were forced to close during the flooding. Many classrooms have been damaged or destroyed during the flooding, which will affect children’s learning once classes resume.
• Tens of thousands of people are without access to clean water after water systems were destroyed, leaving people more susceptible to waterborne diseases. Already, reports of cholera outbreaks have been reported in 8 counties in Kenya.
• Many of the 127,000 Kenyan children displaced by flooding may be in need of psychosocial support. Some have witnessed the death of loved ones or have seen their homes destroyed by flooding.
• Natural disasters expose children to violence. When displaced, children are more likely to experience neglect, abuse, exploitation or sexual violence.

To address these issues, and meet the needs of people in need, World Vision has requested an additional $22 million to expand its response.

For more information about World Vision's response in Kenya, please download our May 2018 Situation Report.