TGE Steps in to Address Critical Food Crisis in Kiambu County, Kenya
Written by TGE Volunteer, Barbara Kohn
TGE and Kiambu County Have Strong Ties
Even before COVID-19 caused a global economic crisis, the African continent was already grappling with food security challenges, wrote the Brookings Institution last year in “Economic impact of COVID-19: Protecting Africa’s food systems from farm to fork.” According to Brookings, “Half of Africans already face food insecurity, of which 50 percent are severely food insecure, while the number of people who are hungry is likely to double in 2020.”
Brookings explained that COVID-19 added more pressure to Africa’s food production and distribution systems, which was grappling with locust swarms in the Horn of Africa, regional insecurity and conflict and droughts and flooding that destroyed crops and the livelihoods of African smallholder farmers. Also, because Africa is a food net importer, the devaluation of several African currencies along with declining prices for commodities exacerbated the problem of ensuring food and nutrition security.
In Kenya, where The Giving Exchange currently centers most of our efforts and programs, food security was particularly dire. Because Kenya is in debt to other countries, the government hiked fuel prices, which in turn raised the price of everything in the country. Adding to the crisis people were out of work. In April of 2020, Business Daily reported that some 1.3 million Kenyans faced a crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity.
The Giving Exchange Steps In
While the focus of TGE has always been on self-sustaining, income-generating programs that lead to financial and personal empowerment, the food emergency required us to reassess our support during this time. While we couldn’t provide emergency food relief to every Kenyan county, we felt strong ties with Kiambu County. It’s where TGE got its start, providing libraries and greenhouses to several Kiambu public schools and launching a music program working with The Kenyan Conservatoire of Music to give children in the school district the opportunity to explore a musical education and develop new skills.
To address the Kiambu food crisis, last year the TGE Board approved $10,000 in emergency food relief and also hygiene products. From those funds, we provided a total of 600 bags containing rice, beans, western ndengu (mung beans), cooking fat, sugar, bar soap, sanitary pads, corn flour, and wheat flour. We made three distributions of 200 bags each in April, June, and August to the neediest four-to-six member families. This enabled us to help feed over 2,400 people.
Crisis Isn’t Over
Food security is still an issue in Kenya this year since the economy has not picked up and fuel prices still are high. The good news, however, is that children are back in school. We are continuing the Kiambu Food Project and are in the process of allocating the first distribution of funds to fill another 200 bags of supplies. We plan to evaluate the need each quarter.
If you would like to donate to this critical program, visit Emergency Food Project for Kiambu.