A section of Kenyan families is set to benefit from the recently released Ksh11 billion (USD 100 million) from the United Nation’s Central Emergency Response Fund.
In a statement dated Thursday, April 14, the UN announced that it had released the money to mitigate hunger in six African countries and Yemen (a Middle East nation).
The money is aimed at helping the respective countries provide food, nutritional help, medical services, shelter, and clean water to the affected families.
In Kenya, the funds target to help individuals affected by hunger in the North Eastern Region.
In the programme, Ksh3.4 billion (USD 30 million) will be dispatched to the Horn of Africa region where slightly over 3 million people are on the brink of starvation. The money will be divided between Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia.
Other countries set to receive aid are Nigeria, Sudan and South Sudan.
“Other countries—Nigeria, Sudan, and Kenya for example—Ethiopia as well—we have millions of people who are just one step away from this catastrophic phase.
“We have to avoid that they end up in that phase because that is where people literally die from starvation and disease on our watch. If we have to avoid that, we need to act now,” stated the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) spokesman Jens Laerke as per VOA News.
The UN further noted that food prices in the earmarked countries had gone up as a result of armed conflict, drought and economic turmoil with the Ukraine conflict worsening the situation.
“Hundreds of thousands of children are going to sleep hungry every night while their parents are worried sick about how to feed them.
“A war halfway around the world makes their prospects even worse. This allocation will save lives,” added the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths.
The UN estimates that the crisis is likely to affect over 1.7 billion people worldwide by pushing them into poverty, destitution, and hunger.
The aid comes a week after the United States released Ksh13.1 billion (US$114 million) for over 20 million families in East Africa including Kenya.
The money was aimed at easing the pain of the families, which have been hit hard by the ravaging drought.
Source: kenyans
