Kenya

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Peter Odhengo of Relief and Environmental Care Africa (RECA) recounted this

Kenyan’s child’s these touching words of a Kenyan child:

“What a pathetic situation in our Chiga village in Kisumu district ( on a map), Nyanza province in Kenya. The village has become a den of sick children, because of lack of clean drinking water. I am alone in this home as most of the other homes both the parent had died and children were left by just a neighbor while others decided to seek for refuge since there was nobody else to go to. Others are left by just very old grandparents who are unable to support them with the basic needs such as food, clothing, water and adequate shelter. Despite the free education offered by the Kenya government, I am not able even to go to school because of lack of school uniforms. We contend with water shortages on daily basis. Not only has the rainfall been erratic over the last five years but much of the existing water in the surface ponds is polluted and scarce. But water is a precious resource, the source of life.

“When the rain subsides, the seasonal rivers dry up, people compete for unsanitary little water from the surface ponds sharing with livestock. If this runs out we have no choice but to walk several kilometers in search of the precious commodity water to buy water at inflated prices from the rich in urban areas which benefit from water tapped illegally from far rural communities. In my community we are sharply reminded of how thirsty we are not only in our village but how all of humanity is left thirsty and dry by the injustice that surrounds us like endless wilderness.”

About the size of France, the Republic of Kenya straddles the equator at the base of the Horn of Africa. Kenya borders the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and the Equator divides the country into almost two equal halves. The Kenyan Highlands are some of the most fertile agricultural regions in all of Africa. However, Kenya’s climate varies widely, from a tropical coast to an arid interior. In recent years, Kenya has undergone a severe water shortage, and now Kenya faces a crisis of epic proportions. Diseases such as cholera and malaria infest the region and prevent children from growing to their full potential or even reaching adulthood. The scarcity of water forces adults to channel precious labor time into a constant search for the vital resource.