Skip to main content
Tagline
Enough is ENOUGH
Campaign Message
Let’s end child hunger today

“The climate has changed, so our lives need to change too.”

These are the words of Ubah, the leader of a group of mothers in Garissa County, Kenya

Like many of us, she is seeing the effects of climate change first hand. From hotter days to flooding to drought, it feels like she can’t catch a break.

But in Eastern Kenya, where Ubah lives, the ripple effect of a changing climate is reaching well beyond the realm of weird weather. It’s already upending entire livelihoods and taking with it a way of living that’s as old as the community itself.
 

Image
Community members in Garissa take part in a climate-smart agriculture training.

For as long as Ubah can remember, the people in her village were pastoralists. They migrated with their livestock, herding them over hundreds of kilometers before selling them in markets and bringing back the income to their families.

The arid conditions of East Africa are nothing new, but this year was different. A drought so severe has left many of their animals dead, while at the same time formal markets shut down due to the pandemic. The burden this places on pastoralists is immense.

Without livestock, Ubah’s community’s food source was literally cut off. People were starving and children suffered from malnutrition.

Image
Marwan, a community health volunteer visiting homes and referring children with acute malnutrition to health facilities

The fatal combination of a changing climate and a pandemic meant the community had to adapt. And in 2021 they did.

They turned to the people who knew the community and it’s children’s needs the most. The people in the community who were sometimes overlooked before: Women.

Together they adopted the Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (”FMNR”) model — a system which helps restore the soil structure and fertility, rehabilitate the water table, and increase biodiversity.

Image
World Vision built the capacity of community health volunteers, mothers and care givers to identify children with acute malnutrition using the Mid-upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) tape

They then set up ‘Masalani’, mother-to-mother support groups for farming where women were provided seeds to create kitchen gardens, and placed at the forefront of solving hunger in their community. And Ubah led the charge.

“By practicing farming, my family doesn’t have to keep migrating all the time in search of pasture and food,” says Ubah. “We now have all we need here at home.”

Throughout this transition, World Vision checked in regularly, remaining flexible to the community’s needs and changing conditions. When malnutrition levels began to rise again, investments were made in ‘Plumpy Nut’, a nutritional supplement designed to promote rapid weight gain through the intake of a broad spectrum of nutrients — specifically designed to save children on the cusp of illness or death. This kept children alive while crops grew.

Image
Mother-to-mother support groups trained by World Vision on effective agricultural techniques are helping communities to practice climate-smart agriculture and boost food security

“The water allows us to grow food crops and even fodder which keeps our animals healthy all year round,” says Ubah.  “Because of this, we live in harmony with neighbouring communities that we previously fought with, while scrambling for the limited pasture land in the area.”

All this is made possible because of World Vision donors. Together we have made incredible strides against hunger over the years. However, right now in many places those hard won gains are slipping. The impact of the last two years has pushed 45 million people to the edge of starvation. Farming interventions, like what Ubah received, can help stop hunger in its tracks. Consider donating today.

Related articles

Image
image of a boy

An impossible choice: hunger or conflict 

Displaced children like Melvina are forced to go without food, as their parents can’t afford it.

Image
A malnourished child with a paper on his hand.

Hunger Crisis

We are responding to the massive hunger crisis threatening the lives of more than 41 million people.

Image
World Vision staff and volunteers on the line of duty in Mangala IDP camp, South Sudan, distributing the Vitameal.

VitaMeal keeps children safe from malnutrition

VitaMeal food supplement is helping improve the nutrition of children and families in South Sudan.

How we use funds

How do we use each euro donated?
89%
Programmes

that benefit children, families, and communities in need

8%
Administration Expenses

to enable us to carry out our work

3%
Fundraising

that supports our valuable work around the world