The situation in the arid north and eastern regions of Kenya has now reached emergency crisis level affecting close to 3.5 million people.
Soaring inflation has also left large numbers of people in Kenya’s informal urban settlements unable to buy food. Below are the activities AMREF is implementing across Kenya in response to this wide-spread crisis.
If you would like to support AMREF's efforts you can do so by DONATING HERE.
**Until September 16, 2011 all donations made to AMREF Canada's Horn of Africa relief efforts will be matched by the Canadian government, making your donation go even further.
How your gifts help
$40 can provide 1000 water purification tablets for hard to reach communities, ensuring access to safe drinking water. donate here
$85 can provide a five day training course for an AMREF Community Health Worker ensuring they have skills to provide nutritional assessments, administer water purification tablets and rehydration salts. donate here
$100 can pay for the transportation costs of delivering a month’s worth of food to a primary school in northern Kenya. donate here
$250 can pay for life-saving health outreach services for 250 people to prevent and treat the growing number of cases of diarrhea, malaria, trachoma, chicken pox and pneumonia. donate here
Kitui and Makueni 
Matinyani (Kitui County) and Makindu (Makueni County), are among the poorest regions in Kenya, with 56% of the population living in poverty. The severe and prolonged drought has led to:
- Increased risk of death among children under 5, pregnant and lactating women and the age
- The inability of women to breastfeed, which is a key component of child survival
- Severe water shortage for humans and animals
- An upsurge in water, sanitation and hygiene related diseases including diarrhoea diseases
AMREF is in Kitui and Makueni, and is partnering with the government of Kenya and agencies on the ground to implement an emergency response.
Expected Results
This initiative is expected to save the lives of 19,440 children below the age of five years and 25,920 women who are at the brink of death due to starvation and malnutrition.
- The community will be able to access health care at outreach clinics.
- The health of 25,591 school going children will be improved through de-worming, vitamin A supplementation, school feeding, better hygiene and sanitation.
- Miid-term interventions will provide 108,000 people in Makindu with access to safe water and improved sanitation.
- The micro-environment will also greatly improve as a result of conservation activities that will be undertaken thus leading to long-term food security for the residents.
Mutitu 
Mutitu, located in eastern Kenya is home to arid and semi-arid lands, and ranks among the poorest districts in country. Approxiately 70 per cent of life threatening illnesses in this region are related to inadequate water, poor sanitation and hygiene practices.
The gains AMREF has made over the last nine years in the region are now seriously threatened by the current drought and hunger in the district. The drought has led to;
- Peoplehaving to walk long distances (10-15 km) everyday to the few boreholes that were developed by AMREF to access water
- Increased spread of disease as clean water is increasingly unavailable for drinking resulting in proper hygiene practices
- Health care facilities suspending new born, child and maternal health services due to a lack of clean water, servuces suspended include child immunizations, antenatal care, deliveries and post-natal services, growth monitoring, de-worming, screening and treatment
AMREF is in Mutitu, and will partner with the government of Kenya, particularly the Ministries of Public Health and Sanitation, Education, Provincial Administration and Water and other agencies in the district to implement an emergency response.
Expected Results
It is expected that this initiative will save the lives of 10,820 children below the age of five years and 14,435 women who are at the brink of death due to starvation and malnutrition.
- 8,500 households will be reached with safe and adequate water.
- Improved health for 11,254 school going children through de-worming, vitamin A and food supplementation and proper sanitation and hygiene practices.
- The micro-environment will also greatly improve as a result of conservation activities like introducing vegetables, fruit and tree seedlings that that will lead to long-term food security and improved livelihoods for residents
Baragoi Division, Samburu North District
Samburu North is occupied by pastoralists who migrate frequently in search of water and pastures. There is a poverty index of 59.6% and a high prevalence of diseases like cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery, amoebiasis, scabies, trachoma and intestinal worms in this area. Nearly 75% of people in this district have no access to proper health care.
Samburu has experienced pro-longed and severe drought which has led to:
The inability of the community to provide adequate nutrition to children under five and lactating mothers, causing severe malnutrition and starvation
- Water sources drying including seasonal rivers, dams, shallow wells and even some boreholes.
- Diarrhea and other water and sanitation related diseases increasing such as malaria, trachoma, typhoid, skin diseases and worms infestation has increased.
- Pastures drying up leading to widespread death of livestock which is the main source of food and livelihood for people
AMREF is in Samburu , and proposes a collaborative effort with communities, government of Kenya line ministries of Water and Irrigation, Public Health, Medical Services, Education as well as Civil Society Organizations to maximize resource utilization and build synergies for health.
Expected Results
- Restoration of quality of life and human dignity
- Increased access to safe water and appropriate sanitation and hygiene practices
- Providing nutritional support to lactating mothers
Turkana 
The Turkana district has the worst maternal and child mortality rates in Kenya. The under five mortality rates are even higher. Women and children particularly suffer from preventable diseases such as malaria, measles, trachoma, diarrhea, acute respiratory tract infections, HIV/AIDS and hydatid diseases. These ailments are mainly due to: scarcity of water, poor access to health services and low literacy levels.
The prolonged drought has led to:
- Increased cases of malaria, trachoma, chicken pox, pneumonia and upper respiratory tract infections , and diarrhea.
- The nutritional status of children below five years and women of reproductive age is worsening putting this age cohort at risk of malnutrition.
- The recent cases of outbreak of polio in Turkana originated from South Sudan and were brought into the country by migrating communities looking for water.
AMREF is in Turkana, and working with the Ministry of Water, Catholic Diocese of Lodwar, Ministry of Education, African Inland Church and ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, Samaritans Purse and Oxfam. AMREF will play a facilitative role, capitalizing on synergies of the above partners in carrying out this response.
Expected Results
- Improved community nutritional status
- Reduction of diarrheal diseases
- Reduction in conflict within the project area
- An anticipated return to normalcy in implementation of project activities
Kibera
Kibera is one of the largest slums in Africa, with a population of almost 170,000 people (KNBS, 2009) tightly packed into a two square kilometer area. Residents of the slum have limited access to safe running water, sanitation, lighting, refuse collection, social amenities or government health facilities, exacerbating vulnerability to disease and illness especially for women and children.
The prolong drought has led:
- An influx of people - in the last six months, over 10,000 people have moved to Kibera in search of income genreating activities. This has put massive constraints on the already inadequate social services including: health care (child immunization, antenatal/post-natal care, family planning, nutritional services, delivery, de-worming, diagnostic and prevention services), water, sanitation, food availability, education as well as security.
- An increase i diarrheal diseases, upper respiratory tract infections and malnutrition.
- Food prices, unemployment and inflation rates have spiraled causing many to starve . Competition for the scarce resources have left pregnant women, lactating mothers, children, people living with HIV/AIDS and the elderly without essential basic necessities such as food, water and health care.
AMREF is in Kibera, and will partner with other agencies on the ground to implement a response. The Ministries of Public Health and Sanitation, Education, Provincial Administration, the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company as well as community and faith based organizations will play a central role.
Expected Results
It is expected AMREF's work in Keibera will benefit 20,980 children below the age of 5 , 34,682 women of reproductive age (15-49 years), and 16,000 school going children in 50 primary schools.
- Improve th nutritional status of targeted populations
- An increase in utilization of health services among pregnant women, lactating mothers, children under 5 years as well as people living with HIV/AIDS
- Increased access to safe water and a decreae in sanitation and hygiene related diseases among school children
