Posts Tagged ‘Disaster Response’

Yesterday was a difficult day to process for our team. We saw two villages that spoke of their complete lack of resources and livelihoods, and their almost total reliance on scant relief food and assistance from a few non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the distant Kenyan government. This vulnerable and disempowering situation has left many Turkana…

In many ways, this morning saw the pinnacle of our media trip journey to Turkana. After days of traveling, we reached the northern district of Lokitaung – any farther north and we would be in Ethiopia. In this remote area, the need is great, but today the most immediate of these needs is acute hunger.…

Much of today was spent in the car, bouncing and jostling our way across the vast and sometimes desolate plains of rocks and dust in northern Turkana. Our intention was to detour to a small village, meet with the community there and then head to Lokitaung where World Relief’s northern Turkana food distribution operations will…

This morning we return to our dusty vehicle for another day of driving. But today is different, because first of all we are here. We are in Turkana, and we are meeting and listening to the stories and realities of the families and communities that are most affected by this food crisis. We are going…

The road from Kitale to Lodwar – World Relief’s hub of operations in Turkana – is bone-jarring. The distance is around 180 miles in total, which could be a manageable 3 hour drive on any tarmac road, but on this road riddled with potholes and mostly devoid of any smooth surfaces, the journey was a…

We will be in Turkana today! After traveling for almost 3 days now, we will finally arrive at our intended destination. It’s hard to know what to expect, when Turkana has occupied too little of the world’s attention when it comes to the unfolding food crisis in East Africa. Images of Somali refugees in the…

Today it seems that life in Nairobi, Kenya jolted and grinded along as it always does. The traffic from the airport through the city was a buzz of chaos, and we crawled through early morning rush hour at a paradoxical slow surge. Our delicious and well-portioned breakfast at a popular city café filled our empty…

In Kenya, right now, more than 3.5 million people need emergency food assistance. And while the statistic is true, the statement is vast and oversimplified. This great number of people in need breaks down to individuals and families in a myriad of conditions, classifications, terms and definitions. Some are pastoralists throughout northern Kenya whose cattle…