Feed hungry children in Kenya

As we prepare for our Thanksgiving day feasts, I want to share with our donors some words of “asante” (thank you in Swahili) from the families who are no longer hungry because of your donations.

From Patricia, the mother of several children: “I and my family are thankful to Global Health for the food program –thank you and God bless you!”

From Mary: “I give a lot of thanks for the support from the food program toward my family. May God bless you all!”

Justine, a staff member of Kisesini clinic who helps distribute the food aid, said: “We are very grateful for the effort that you are doing for these families by providing basic needs for them, which for us as staff we could not have managed with our own money. This morning one of the family members said she is happy for everything you are doing to support them…the food they get monthly has helped to get rid of malnutrition among their children.”

Extreme poverty and food insecurity are a reality for many of the families who live in the villages of rural Kenya. The “Feed Hungry Children in Kenya” project now has 20 families who receive a monthly food ration and clothing for the children from Global Health Partnerships (GHP). The 21^st family will be added this month thanks to a generous new donor. These families are among the poorest in Africa. They include children who lost their parents from AIDS, subsistence farmers who lost their crops from drought, and children whose mother died in childbirth. With a $42 monthly donation you can feed another family on the waiting list.

As Project Leader, and one who has personally visited these families, I would like to add my message of gratitude this Thanksgiving for your generosity. Relief from the hunger and child malnutrition can be provided by GHP very effectively and efficiently. As of July 1, 2014, 100% of the donations that are received by GHP go directly into program services! (A GHP Board member is covering all GHP administrative expenses).

Please share your thoughts with us about this program. How can we expand the project to reach other children, also among the poorest, who will go hungry this Thanksgiving?

Nyamai is a widow who lives in Manooni village. She is the sole provider for her three children and one grandchild. The family has been devastated by HIV/AIDS. The father of the children died several years ago, and four children have died, one from severe malnutrition. The family lives in a one room house made of homemade bricks and mud. Nyamai sells fire wood and charcoal but is not able to earn enough to support the family with adequate food, clothing and other essentials. Her children would like to attend school, but the cost of school fees and required uniforms are not affordable with their mother’s meager income. Nicholas Mutuku, the Kenyan nurse who coordinates the “Feed Hungry Children in Kenya” project, has requested that this family be added to those who receive a monthly food ration from Global Health Partnerships (GHP).

Extreme poverty, and the hunger that accompanies this problem, are a reality for many of the families who live in the villages of rural Kenya. Those who suffer most are the poorest whose families are also stricken by AIDS and other chronic illness and who have no reliable source of income to purchase food and other essentials. The GHP project that feeds hungry children has been providing a monthly ration of food and some clothing for the children of 20 families at a monthly cost of $42 per family. The cost has been increasing due to the inflation rate in Kenya. GHP has also decided to assist with school expenses for the children of school age, because the only hope for these children to break out of the cycle of extreme poverty is with education.  

The relief from the hunger and malnutrition can be provided by GHP very effectively and efficiently. As of July 1, 2014, 100% of the donations that are received by GHP go directly into program services! (A GHP Board member is covering all administrative expenses.)