Water and Food Still Urgently Needed; Executive Director Yifat Susskind Shares an Update from Kenya

Posted on: Monday, August 15, 2011

Keywords: Africa, Emergency Relief, Kenya

This week, MADRE staff are in Kenya visiting our sister organizations, Womankind Kenya and the Indigenous Information Network (IIN). We just received an update from MADRE Executive Director Yifat Susskind, who met today with Hubbie Hussein Al-Haji of Womankind Kenya.

Hubbie and Womankind Kenya are working tirelessly to bring much needed aid to people crossing into Kenya to flee the famine in neighboring Somalia. As Yifat wrote to us in her update:

When I met with Hubbie today, I was so glad to bring with me a contribution of funds, raised through MADRE supporters, to help bolster their crucial relief work. What’s more, meeting with her today gave us the chance to further strengthen our work together.

She told us that the people coming across the border from Somalia are running for their lives from famine—but even once they make it to Kenya, they are still vulnerable. The children, who are the hardest hit, are often too weak to even lift up their heads. People are on the edge and barely hanging on.

This famine is also threatening countless local communities in northeastern Kenya. Desperate for food and water, many people from these communities have also joined Somali refugees in trying to access resources from the displacement camps. But like many families arriving from Somalia, they are also being turned away. Simply put, the camps are overcrowded and lack the resources to meet the overwhelming need. This is where Womankind Kenya plays an invaluable role, reaching out to people who have been turned away and providing them with the vital resources to stay alive.

There is one danger, Hubbie said, that looms larger than anything else: the lack of water. This is why bringing water to these vulnerable communities is the number one priority for Womankind Kenya. Time and time again, women have told her that their primary concern is the search for water, because without it, they can’t survive for more than a few days.

Yifat also shared with us a video from Kenya. Watch it below:

Want to hear more from MADRE’s trip to Kenya? To stay updated by becoming a virtual delegate, click here.  

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