Emergency Food Distribution #2 in Kenya

This is a summary of the report written by Veronica Lemuya about our second food distribution in Kenya.
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As locusts destroyed the vegetation in Turkana and other parts of Kenya in June and July with the worst locust outbreak in decades, the rich are no longer rich, and the poor are poorer than before. This became a crisis within a crisis dealing with the locusts on top of the country’s fight against the spread of COVID-19.  Not only this, but this spring, there was a flood that took out the water supply for some families in Lodwar for a time, and there was even an earthquake that unsettled many families. The resulting economic devastation has left many children and families suffering from the loss of employment and income and not enough food and water. 

Children of the Kingdom has stepped in during July to support 564 Turkana families (160 sponsored and 406 non-sponsored families).  The first distribution of emergency relief was shared with 300 families in May, the first water distribution took place in June reaching three villages, and this second food distribution was just completed in mid-July.  Since schools were not in session for the second term, we utilized those funds that would have been used for school fees to support children and families in this time of great need. 

We worked with the county commissioner and the village elders to ensure that we were in compliance with the new regulations on Covid-19 responses in Kenya, and we were granted a permit to do home deliveries for all the beneficiaries.

The Children of the Kingdom director along with board members meeting with the county commissioner who also serves as the co-chair for the County Covid-19 Emergency Response Team

Board Member Pastor William Emase and Parent Representative on our Kenyan Board, Pastor Michael Lokatuu, checking the food packed ready for delivery

Veronica was able to order much of the food from some local business women who had the capacity to supply food. This was a wonderful way we also were able to support women in business and encourage local suppliers.

Children of the Kingdom sponsored students delivering food to families: From right: Jessica Kebo, Janet Amekwi and Milicent Ngasike behind.

​Our mission is “to share God’s love with children in need through the gift of education to equip them to be servants in the kingdom,” and our ministry was able to provide critical support to families with some of our current and former students leading the group of volunteers to make the distributions happen.    
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In this second food distribution, the food was delivered house to house in line with regulations laid out by the Kenya Ministry of Health. The following food items were delivered to each household: 10 kg maize, 10 kg maize flour, 10 kg beans, 3 kgs sugar, 500 g of fresh and dried fruit, 1 cabbage, 500 g onion, 1 kg tomatoes, 1 kg potatoes, 500 g salt, 250 g tea leaves, 500 g washing detergent, and 2 bars of soap. 
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Future needs were identified for us to consider for next steps. There is need for medical supplies as many people can’t reach the hospital because of the distance and money needed for medical supplies.  Due to this, they are suffering with minor illnesses which become worse due to lack of medical attention. Water is still a challenge for places where the government has not delivered water. Women and children trek for hours to collect water for household use. We are planning a second water distribution in August.

This second food distribution was a great success, and Children of the Kingdom is looking forward to continuing to support the children in our program along with those who are most vulnerable in the surrounding communities.