Kenyans in Diaspora respond to famine

By Chris Wamalwa in USA

"We will respond with a Big Heart!" This is the message Kenyans in Diaspora had for the victims of famine in Kenya when they joined their compatriots back home in responding to the call by the Kenyan media to come to the rescue of millions threatened by starvation.

Malnourished children from Turkana County. Most families have nothing to eat and relief agencies in the area have stepped in to feed the starving masses.Pictures By Lucas Ngasike/Standard

By late Thursday, the social media in the US – Facebook, Twitter and other Diaspora websites was abuzz with calls to join ‘Kenyans For Kenya’ campaign. Images of starving victims that have started to appear in the US media seem to have increased the urgency.

“I have hundreds of friends on my twitter and Facebook accounts and I’m forwarding the KCB A/c 11 33 33 33 38 Mpesa 111 111 that was given by the media to them and asking them to wire money now, not tomorrow.

 It is an urgent and big need and we as sons and daughters of Kenya living abroad have to respond in a big way and urgently,” said John Wafula, a Kenyan resident of Pennsylvania.

Lauding the launch of ‘Kenyans For Kenya’ campaign started earlier in the week spearheaded by Media owners among them the Standard Group in collaboration with Kenya Commercial Bank and Safaricom Kenya, most Kenyans in the US who spoke to The Standard said the initiative opens up opportunities for them to be part of the campaign to help their compatriots.

“ We have been reading stories and watching heart rending https://cdn.standardmedia.co.ke/images of our people back at home dying or on the brink of dying from hunger and feeling very frustrated and helpless because nobody has taken the initiative to coordinate our donations.

We therefore thank the media for launching the campaign and we want to assure people back at home that we are going to respond with a big heart,” said Denzel Musumba of East Africa radio USA.

Musumba who launched his version of the campaign through his online radio in the US said the response so far has been overwhelming among East Africans living in North America.

 “People are calling in from everywhere and all they are asking for is the account number that was set up by the Media Owners, KCB and Safaricom and Red Cross. Diaspora’s are willing to donate the only problem has been a creditable organization through which they could channel their donations,” he said.

A coalition of corporations and media houses in Kenya launched a rapid response initiative early in the week to feed about 3.5 million starving Kenyans.

Dubbed Kenyans for Kenya, the funds drive, which would be administered by Kenya Red Cross Society, aims to raise over Sh500 million, in four weeks. The worst hit areas include North Eastern Province and parts of North Rift, among them Turkana, Pokot and Baringo.

Relief agencies have reported a rise in hunger-related deaths in camps within North Eastern Province.

Drought across East Africa and especially in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, has left an estimated 10 million people in urgent need of humanitarian aid.

While the region suffers from drought regularly, consistently poor rainfall over the past two years has had a cumulative effect, and the land has been unable to recover.

2011 has so far proved the driest year in the region since 1951. As a result, families have virtually run out of food and water. Crops have failed and water holes are drying up. The drought has meant there is little arable grazing land or water for animals.

Families are having to watch the livestock they have invested in - their main way of earning money and feeding their families - weaken and die.

In New York, a group of Kenyans have organized a peaceful rally in Manhattan Times Square to highlight the famine. Announcing the rally scheduled to take place Saturday, August 6, 2011, one of the organisers Peter Kerre said the aim of the rally is to spread awareness about the humanitarian plight in the Horn of Africa, brought about by drought and famine.

“We would like to call on all Diaspora Africans, friends of Africa, organizations, schools, churches, and mosques to join us as we rally to spread awareness of the plight of our kin back in Africa.

Every minute, helpless children, adults and the elderly are dying. Drought is unpreventable but famine is. The effects of drought can be mitigated and famine avoided, no lives need be lost. We need to come together to see how we can help,” said Kerre.

On the KCB website the account for this project has been given as:

Kenyans for Kenya Campaign: Diaspora Swift: KCBLKENX: Acct: 11 33 33 33 38; Moi Avenue; Code:01100