A typically warm Turkana welcome greeted UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake when he visited the village of Kapua in north-western Kenya this weekend.Report by Edita Nsubuga and Alicia Jones
Women and men in traditional attire sang as they escorted him to the shade of the trees in the village meeting area, a complete contrast to the desolate, rocky landscape surrounding Kapua. Waiting patiently in the shade were row upon row of mothers with babies, along with the young, the old and the infirm.
Hundreds of people had trekked for miles, despite their thirst, deep hunger and extreme fatigue, to meet with Mr. Lake. He had come to listen to their stories and, perhaps, offer a glimmer of hope in their harsh lives.
Impact of climate change
In addition to the thousands of drought- and conflict-affected Somalis who are seeking refuge in Ethiopia and Kenya, millions more in this region are barely surviving. Across the Horn of Africa, people are suffering the consequences of failed rains and the impact of climate change.
For the largely pastoralist Turkana people, the loss of their livestock has meant the decline of a way of life that used to make it possible for them to support and feed their children well.
Now, Kapua village has become a satellite point for food distribution. Its 4,000 or so inhabitants rely on a sporadic supply of nutrition supplies to survive.
“Communities like this across the region live on the edge. It doesn’t take very much to tip them over to such extreme circumstances as this,” said Mr. Lake.
“What we are seeing here is almost a perfect storm – conflict in Somalia, rising fuel and food prices, and drought and the loss of the rain,” he noted. “Now we are going to go another four to five months before there will be a harvest, and we all have a huge job ahead.”
UNICEF is appealing for $31.8 million for the Horn of Africa over the next three months, to rapidly ramp up its response aimed especially at children, who are bearing the brunt of the crisis. The most urgent needs include therapeutic feeding, vitamin supplementation, water and sanitation, and immunization.
Read the full field report from Edita Nsubuga and Alicia Jones here