KENYA - Emergency Drought Response

Five consecutive failed rainfall seasons in Kenya have plunged parts of this East African country into the most severe crisis in decades.  Among the hardest hit regions was the Baragoi Division of Samburu District, where livestock production, the main source of income here, came to a near screeching halt due to lack of water and pasture area.  The boreholes and shallow wells that once served 30,000 Baragoi residents broke down from neglect, and the three dams and pans servicing the area dried up.  Such critical water shortages, coupled with food insecurity, created a highly volatile situation for the 3.5 million people impacted. 

Beyond the economic impact of the drought, women and children under the age of five bear the brunt of back-breaking work in securing water for their families.  Each day, thousands walk almost 20 kilometers (4 hours) in search of clean, safe water that they must then carry home by foot.  This harsh reality robs women of time spent caring for their children, which in turn translates to alarmingly low immunization rates (50 percent) and antenatal coverage (30 percent).  What’s more is that only 20 percent of girls in Samburu are able to attend school as the majority of them are too busy ferreting water for their families. 

The Foundation responded to this crisis with a $50,000 grant to the International Medical Corps (IMC) to rehabilitate Baragoi’s three key water points and improve access to safe water for 10,000 women and children.  IMC works to restore devastated health care systems by building local capacity.  Western Union Agents - Diamond Trust, Kenya Commercial Bank and Kenya Past - raised $20,000 toward this effort, and the Foundation matched this dollar-for-dollar plus made an additional $10,000 donation.