Hilfe gegen Dürrekatastrophe: AMREF Statusbericht
AMREF Drought Response Status Brief; August 16th 2011
Preamble
AMREF in Kenya officially launched its response to the emergency drought on 10th August 2011 at Kaikor in Turkana North. This function was officiated by the AMREF Director General, and attended by the AMREF Kenya Country Director, Minister for Labour, Provincial Director of Medical Services among other key dignitaries. To-date a total of slightly over € 2.7M has been mobilized to support interventions in Samburu, Turkana, Kitui, Makueni, Magadi, Kajiado, Loitoktok, Wajir, Lamu, Kibera, Dagoretti and Coastal areas. Notable progress has been realized in the four core areas of support including:
Improved nutrition for mothers and children under five years
Through collaboration with the Ministries of Health and Provincial Administration, AMREF has facilitated procurement and distribution of 36.776 Metric tonnes of UNIMIX and 1,267 Litres of oil. Humedica (a German NGO) has also partnered with AMREF and donated 5 metric tonnes of assorted baby and adult supplementary food. AMREF has also procured and distributed 100 MUAC tapes, 50 hanging scales and 50 Salter scales to Community Health Workers (CHWs) in Makueni for growth monitoring. Besides, support is being provided to the District Steering Groups (DSGs) for transportation of relief food (from government and other partners) to communities for easier access.
Increased access to safe water
In order to realize this objective, mobilization has been undertaken in all target areas particularly for excavation of shallow wells and installation of water tanks. LPOs for water tinkering are being prepared while 26 water tanks with a capacity of 10M3 and 314,571 Aqua tabs are being supplied to the target sites.
Increased access to appropriate sanitation and hygiene practices
Mobilization of communities has began with each site identifying the required Trainer of Trainers (ToTs) who will spearhead sanitation and hygiene promotion in the communities. Trainings for the ToTs are slated for next week and will be facilitated by the Public Health Officers (PHOs) in the various districts. Further, the process of procuring 10 mobilets for migrating pastoralists in Samburu has commenced.
Increased access and utilisation of health services
The District Health Management Teams (DHMTs) in each district are providing leadership in interventions to increase access to maternal and child health services. AMREF staff have held meetings with respective DHMTs and mapped out areas where health outreaches are required most. The Teams have also developed detailed outreach plans for their respective districts. The AMREF Clinical Outreach Department is also liaising with the DHMTs to identify cases that require specialized management across the country.
Recruitment
An advert for recruitment of 8 Project Assistants was released on August 15th while interviews for the same are scheduled for next week. A National Drought Response Coordinator has been appointed to oversee the overall implementation of the response.
Challenge and areas of support
The key challenge being noted in most of the areas is an increasing demand for food, water and medical services as the drought situation is worsening. The number and capacity of partners in the areas AMREF is responding is notably limited, thus putting pressure on the support being availed. Although more support is required to address the communities’ immediate needs, measures to engage on longer term interventions to mitigate drought are critical.
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