Canada gives Sh1bn to fight hunger
A Turkana woman cools a baby with water as she and others wait for food supply in Namukuse location Kalkol division in Turkana Central. The area is one of the worst affected by the current drought. Canada has announced it will contribute Sh1.3billion to UN agencies and non- governmental organisations working in Kenya towards feeding the hungry August 19, 2011. ANTHONY OMUYA
Canada has announced it will contribute Sh1.3billion to UN agencies and non- governmental organisations working in Kenya towards feeding the hungry.
The money will be channelled through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
"We will continue to show our support to Kenyans as well as refugees most affected by the drought in the country, especially the women and children whose situation is dire,”said Canadian High Commissioner to Kenya, H.E. David Collins in a statement Friday.
The commissioner said his country is committed to supporting those humanitarian efforts delivering aid directly to those most in need.
On Thursday, small companies raised Sh41million for the Kenyans for Kenya initiative. During the event, the organisers said they were concerned by a number of organisations that had not honoured their pledges.
“Those who have made pledges please bring the money so that we can commence the projects that will no doubt go a long way in changing the lives of our brothers and sisters,” said Mr Joshua Chepkwony of the Media Owners Association.
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) has launched a series of programmes to boost the nutrition of small children in Kenya and the Horn.
The feeding programmes will provide specialised nutrition products to children under the age of five, lactating mothers and pregnant women in a bid to prevent and treat malnutrition in the early years, to avoid irreparable damage to physical and mental development in later life.
The organisation is targeting 90,000 children in Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya and six drought-hit districts in Kenya.
WFP said in a statement sent to the media it is working with the Ministry of Education and UNICEF to feed 587,000 Kenyan children in the worst-hit areas during the August school holidays as a safety net against the effects of the drought.
The programme will also provide 120 metric tons of Plumpy Sup- a ready-to-eat specialised nutrition product, and 24 metric tons of High Energy Biscuits into Mogadishu targeting 30,000 people either just arriving in Mogadishu or crossing borders into Kenya and Ethiopia.
