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Emergency Drought Response: Over 34,000 people reached with food hampers
Through the #SaveAGeneration emergency drought response, we have reached approximately 28,600 people with food hampers in Marsabit, Isiolo and Lamu counties since December last year. Thanks to the strong support from WWF-Germany, WWF-Sweden, WWF-Denmark and WWF-Norway.
Over 34,000 people in Marsabit, Isiolo and Lamu Counties were reached by WWF-Kenya’s emergency drought response initiative, Save A Generation campaign.
Working in collaboration with the National Drought Management Authority, the national government agency responsible for coordinating emergency responses in the country, WWF-Kenya oversaw the distribution of food hampers to the affected communities between December 2022 and February 2023.
Before the onset of the long rain season in mid-March, the climate change-induced drought crisis had spread to 32 of Kenya’s 47 counties. The drought was as a result of four failed rain seasons, and one of the worst the country has experienced in 40 years.
At the height of the drought crisis, WWF-Kenya launched the Save a Generation: Emergency Drought Appeal campaign to save people, their livelihoods, livestock and wildlife.
“The measures that WWF-Kenya has undertakenso far are geared towards ensuring that communities that are affected by climate change do not resort to over-exploitation of natural resources like cutting down of trees, charcoal burning and consumption of bushmeat. Overall, we have supported three categories of interventions. The first is emergency response through provision of foodstuffs for communities, water trucking and hay for livestock and wildlife. The others are mid-term and long-term measures that entail water provision through drilling of boreholes, water pans; and supporting establishment of nature-based enterprises to to enhance the resilience of communities to adverse impacts of climate change," said Dr. Yussuf Wato, Manager, Biodiversity, Research and Innovation, WWF-Kenya.
Communities living in wildlife rich areas bear the greatest brunt of human-wildlife conflict during drought as livestock and wildlife compete for scarce water and pasture.
In some landscapes, the majority of those affected lost their only means of livelihood, livestock, and turned to charcoal burning to make ends meet. This led to mass cutting of indigenous trees in the county which already suffers low forest cover.
With awareness, capacity building and economic empowerment through interventions like Nature-based Solutions, communities will be empowered to continue being biodiversity custodians.
During the first phase of the drought emergency response in 2022, over 6,000 people benefited from the initiative in Arapal and Gas in Marsabit. The county is one most affected in the country by the prolonged drought. Marsabit is also home to a variety of wildlife including hyenas, antelopes, ostriches, guinea fowls and wild dogs.
With support from WWF-UK, WWF-Sweden, WWF-Norway, WWF-Germany and WWF-Denmark, WWF-Kenya constructed a solar-powered borehole for the people of Goreale, Garissa County.
