Special Appeal for children displaced by drought

Incredible though it may be, a year has gone by since we first started seeing the changes implemented by the arrival of Covid 19 in our midst.  A year of uncertainty, devastating economic impact, new rules and regulations and fear.

Those of us living in Kenya have received mixed blessings during the past year.   Kenya's government were very quick to take Covid 19 seriously and to implement precautions such as closing our borders, restricting travel and gatherings etc.  Africa has experience in dealing with epidemics and has been quick to contain the spread of nasties such as Ebola, cholera, etc and we saw a successful containment/track and trace program be implemented as soon as the first case reached our shores.   Fast action to reduce the spread, coupled with outdoor lifestyle, a younger population, plenty of vitamin D etc have all combined to keep Kenya's numbers very low.  However, the downside of a less infected population has been the detrimental economic impact and school closures.  Most markets and 'non-essential' businesses remained closed for most of 2020 and schools did not reopen until January 2021 - nine months of closure.  Some industries still remain in hardship, despite a return to 'normality' for many in recent months - eg tourism and hospitality.

There is no social welfare support system in Kenya so being out of work is not cusioned by any government assistance.  As most people just eke out a living from day to day, each day without a wage is a serious hardship.  Many of the beneficiaries in our programs were impacted by the restrictions as they were either in training schemes that were suspended, or had been working in businesses that were restricted or closed for some time.  We assisted through taking food parcels to the families most seriously impacted.  Luckily our programs try as much as possible to train and employ people in their home communities, avoiding the town centre as much as possible to not only reduce travel timeand costs but to encourage more of a community self-help approach.  This made it much easier for many beneficiaries to continue with small local businesses as they did not need to travel during lock-downs. 

Some of our beneficiaries moved back to their home areas during the second half of 2020 armed with training and some savings.  However, for every person who chose to move back, we know another one will leave the arid areas of the north and move to town in hope of a better life.  We will meet them and try to give them as much help as we can to find alternative livelihoods to those threatened by every incroaching climate change.  Thank you for your help in arming these people with tools to find alternative lifestyles that will sustain their families.