- The food donation was meant to cushion them from starvation occasioned by the prolonged drought.
- Each beneficiary received 25 KGS of fortified Blended food.
Image: ABDIKADIR CHARI
Over 1200 vulnerable households in the Sololo sub-county have a reason to smile after receiving food donations from the county government and Al-khair foundation.
The food donation was meant to cushion them from starvation occasioned by the prolonged drought.
Each beneficiary received 25 KGS of fortified Blended food.
The charity organization donated their first distribution late last year when more than 600 vulnerable households in Saku benefitted from the food rations.
Speaking after overseeing the distribution of relief food, the governor's political adviser Wako Wario said women, children and the elderly were the most affected and called on more well-wishers to come to their rescue.
"The drought has resulted in the loss of their only source of income and many families cannot provide food for themselves. We are calling on well-wishers to provide food for those severely affected," said Wako
He further called on National Government to introduce a school-feeding program in all public schools to ensure the pupils remain in school.
He said the hunger situation in the county was dire and children below five years were at risk of acute malnutrition.
Wako lauded the charitable organizations for their generosity to cushion vulnerable households in the county and asked other organizations and well-wishers to emulate their gesture by donating food aid to less privileged members of the community.
Image: ABDIKADIR CHARI
He said the county government and the partners have done several interventions to cushion residents against harsh weather conditions but the adverse effects of drought continue to affect people and their animals.
He said the government was committed to addressing the needs of its citizens, assuring that nobody would die of hunger as intervention measures have already been made.
Precious Wangeci, Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning (MEAL) officer noted that the relief food donations target the most vulnerable members of the society saying the donation was part of their ongoing campaign to feed hunger-stricken households.
She said the foundation will continue to work with the county government of Marsabit to support the county's efforts to help hungry residents overcome the worst famine in the region.
"There is a need for enhanced collaboration by all actors because the current situation dictates," said Precious
According to Bonaya Koricha, the hunger situation in the area was dire with many families losing all their livestock to drought.
He said families were now left desperate and they were at the mercy of well-wishers and the government to provide them with food.
Dale Bonaya, a resident of Funaan Idha said water shortages were also a big problem, revealing that they have to walk more than 10 kilometres to the nearest water point to fetch water for domestic use.
"There is a huge shortage of water, women are forced to walk many kilometres on empty stomachs to fetch water," she said
Fatuma Boru, a resident of Rawana said the food received was enough to feed her family for two weeks and appealed to other organizations to consider their plight and distribute more relief food.
Community elder Boru Galgallo praised the foundation's initiatives and called on other charity organizations to help vulnerable families who are facing severe food shortages during this dry spell.
"People are facing hardship and economic issues as the price of the basic commodities is high. Such assistance could help them a lot," said Boru
He said many families have lost their livestock and those still alive are weak making it difficult for the owners to get a market for sales.
Guyo Malicha, a resident of Rawana lauded the interventions made by the charitable organization but said the food donation is not enough to meet their demands and ask for more supplies.
"We need more relief food. We share these food rations with those who don't have them. We need more support," said Guyo.
He said the relief food brought by the county government and Al-khair foundation will help to sustain them for two weeks and called on the government and humanitarian agencies to distribute more relief food to keep them from hunger.
"We lost all our livestock to drought. We appeal for support as many families are sleeping hungry," he said
He said his family depends on food aid to survive and thanks the county government for supplying relief food twice in less than two months.
Marsabit county is at an alarming level, which is characterized by an increasing need for humanitarian assistance.