In Kibera, continuously rising food prices and chronic poverty (most families make less than $2 per day) have severely effected children in the slum. As families have been increasingly unable to afford food, child malnutrition rates have been on the rise. This project will enable St. Vincent's to provide staple food items to our 150 Nursery School, student scholarship and community outreach families to help them keep their children fed over the upcoming holiday, reaching approximately 830 people
Over the past few years, Nairobi slum dwellers have faced severe food shortages fueled by soaring inflation which has driven up food prices, as well as unemployment. The poorest spend up to 75% of their income on staple foods alone. Families try to cope by reducing meal frequency and quantities, which has led to 1/3 of Nairobi's residents being chronically malnourished. Children in Nairobi's slums are among the unhealthiest in the country, with almost half of children under age 5 being stunted.
When school is in session, St. Vincent's provides 2 daily, nutritious meals to all students, which are critical for children's health as they are typically the only ones that children receive during the week. Over the 1.5 month-long break, St. Vincent's Nursery School parents and guardians struggle to put food on the table for their families. St. Vincent's provides holiday food baskets that contain staple food items enough to help households feed their families when our school is out of session.
This project will provide much needed food assistance to 80 Nursery School families, 25 families of student scholarship recipients and 45 vulnerable families from our community outreach work in December 2015. The project will reach approximately 850 people with nutrition services during the school holiday break when families struggle to provide adequate food to their children.