In the arid riverbeds of Kenya’s arid northwest, pastoralists are digging deeper holes for water. The region has been hit by the worst drought in 40 years, wiping out livestock and crops and exacerbating the threat of hunger.
In Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, 1.5 million people have been forced from their homes in search of food and water after four years of dry seasons.
The effects of hunger are etched in the faces of children who fill the “stabilization chambers” for serious health problems in northwestern Kenya’s Rhodwaal county and referral hospital.
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“I have three starving grandchildren. All my livestock died because of the drought.”
UNICEF estimates that nearly two million children in the Horn of Africa are in need of urgent treatment for life-threatening acute acute malnutrition.
UNICEF said the civil war in Ukraine and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic have exacerbated hunger, pushing prices for cooking oil, bread and flour to record highs in local markets.
Scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) say the drought was caused by climate change and the La Niña weather pattern in the Pacific.
Aid groups and officials predict that the next rainfall in the Horn of Africa is also likely to fail, hurting communities that Kenya’s UNICEF official said was the least responsible for the world’s carbon emissions. I’m here.
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“Ironically, it is not the countries that contribute the most to global emissions that pay the heaviest price,” said Mohammed Malik Faure, UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa.
“And here comes the notion of fairness and justice. Why should I pay such a high price for something I have not contributed so much to?”
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Nomadic Turkana County residents, famous for their colorful beadwork and fabrics each season, are being pushed to the brink with fewer and fewer resources to rely on.
Earlier this month, Kenya’s president declared the crisis a national disaster.
Goat herder Raudi Locorien, who is looking for water outside the town of Lodowar, said, “I have lost a lot.
“Nearly 300 goats died, 50 camels died and are still dying.”