Concrete Dam in Mbeere, Kenia

Bob and Hope Organization of Germany a huge thank you for partnering with us in giving the Mbeere People a Concrete Dam that was able to trap water that will provide water to the community until next rainy season..The leaders of our Ithera Christian Centre who are the managers of the massive Dam told me that they were able to put fish into the Dam as a business venture and the results are awesome, the community is now buying fish alongside fetching water..This is the gospel that is tangible! Edward Buria

East Africa

We continued our help to Kenya during the first part of the year. We helped provide food for around 15,000 people together with EDFRI our partners in Kenya. A harvest was expected in March and in fact the first fruits of beans had been already harvested around Christmas. Things were looking good, but then just before the maize harvest torrential rain destroyed a great deal of the yield.

Once more the situation was desperate. We were able to help build a dam in the Mbeeri area – about 200km north of Nairobi – which is a great blessing. Women from this area had to walk 15km one way, to collect water from a lake near a power station. That is thankfully history. The other sand dams that were built were a great help but unfortunately there are not enough. People heard that “our” communities had water and walked, sometimes a long way, to take water. The sand dam reservoirs had to provide for many more people than planned. We hope to continue build more  dams.

A fishing cooperative has been launched in Turkana. They have three boats at the moment and 50 people are dependent upon each boat. This project is sustainable and helps the people to generate their own income and feed their families. The members of the cooperative have come out of a refugee camp that has been supported by EDFRI for a couple of years. Turkana is the most impoverished area of Kenya.

No respite for Kenya

Famine in Kenya from Newfrontiers on Vimeo.

CLIP ABOUT THE DROUGHT/FAMINE IN EAST AFRIKA VIA SKY NEWS

MORE GOOD NEWS DESPITE ALL THE BAD NEWS

There was quite a lot of bad news pouring in on me during the last few days. Good news seemed to be rare. However we continue to be encouraged by the generosity of friends who are supporting our effort to serve the people in Northern Kenya who are going through a famine.
The depressing news I received from Sri Lanka was also offset by good news that followed. During the (our) summer time they had a number of camps and special events for children, including the launching of a new book for children. At the events it seems that there were between 100 and 300 participants.
Good news for a far off land is like cold water to a thirsty soul.

Drought-stricken Kenyans struggle for one meal a day

In Kenya's Rift Valley, crops have failed due to the prevailing drought. People are lucky if they can manage to eat even one meal a day. They are faced with a choice of moving to urban slums or trying somehow to make a living where they are.

In recent years there were two previous droughts but this is more serious. Livestock has already died.
During the best times 2.6 million people in Kenya receive food from the World Food Programme. There has been a sharp rise during this present drought that has turned into a famine. By November it will reach a staggering 3.8 millions.
Typical work for people who stay on in the rural area is work in the quarries. They fill 20litre buckets with broken stones and these are sold for 5 Kenyan shillings. A 2kg bag of maize cost 105 Shillings.
Wells and bore holes have dried up. People are walking as far as 30km searching for the precious liquid.