By IsraAID Staff | Kenya and Greece
Nutritional Support for Child Refugees in Kenya
Kakuma refugee camp located in West Turkana, Kenya, opened in 1992 and is currently home to over 190,000 refugees from different nationalities, who have fled persecution and war in neighbouring countries including South Sudan, Somalia, and the DRC. Instability in the region, most notably in South Sudan, continues to cause displacement. In addition to the camp’s population there are an estimated 50,000 members of the host community, many of whom rely on government and NGO support.
The acute malnutrition rate in Turkana sits at 30%, with children at the highest risk. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), malnutrition contributes to more than a third of pediatric deaths. Tuberculosis, Malaria, and HIV/AIDS, and other illnesses, further increase vulnerability to malnutrition. The Kakuma refugee camp is in one of Kenya’s poorest and most drought-stricken regions, exacerbating access to enough nutritional resources.
In April, the IsraAID Kenya team, in partnership with the UNHCR, IRC, and Kenya Red Cross, donated food supplement distribution to patients identified as high-need. Ready-to-use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) is the recommended method of supplementing food in the final stage of rehabilitation from malnutrition. Forty cents purchases one sachet of the supplement; on average, each patient needs to receive one sachet per day, for over 21 days, as their outpatient treatment, while rehabilitating at home and returning to educational frameworks. 100 boxes can serve over 700 children.
RUTF is a ready-to-use paste, made of peanut butter, dried skim milk, and additional vitamins. It can be stored for months without refrigeration and has recently begun being manufactured in the region to decrease dependency on imports and increase sustainable usage. The WHO and UNICEF identify RUTF as optimal treatment for severe malnutrition, specifically for children, because it can be utilized at home rather than in hospitals.
IsraAID was able to donate 108 cartons of RUTF-- supporting many of the most vulerable residents of the Kakuma Refugee Camp.
1 Year Anniversary of the Sindos Community Center in Greece!
The Sindos Community Center, located in a suburb of Thessaloniki, has become a hub of intercultural, communal ownership, creating a platform for meaningful interaction between refugees and local Greeks. Refugees from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Afghanistan, Morocco, Algeria, Congo, and Kurdistan facilitate and teach the daily schedule of classes, supported by IsraAID’s Greek and international staff.
Professional development courses aimed at improving refugee access to gainful employment focus on CV workshops, English and Greek classes, skill building sessions, and IT training. Each day, more than 70 refugees attend the center's diverse activities.
Last month, the Sindos Community Center celebrated its one year anniversary!
The whole community came together for a festival with food, dancing, and face painting for children. More than 200 people attended the event, a true testament to the multicultural community that's been built together.
Just a few weeks later, leaders from the Community Center partook in the Thessaloniiki Multilingualism Festival held at City Hall. Three different sessions demonstrated the success of multiculturalism at Sindos with the wider Thessaloniki community-- including a movement therapy session, a self-care and beauty session for women, and multi-language logic games!
These events are a testament to the Sindos community's work to build bridges between different cultures, working towards the common goal of meaningful integration and collaboration between the refugee and local communities.
Thank you for your support of these important programs!
By IsraAID Staff | Kenya
By IsraAID Staff | Berlin, Germany
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