Kenya is one of the poorest countries in the world. Approximately 96 per cent of the total population (30 million) lives below the poverty line, earning less than a dollar per day.
The current drought that has affected a huge chunk of Kenya has severely disrupted the social fabric causing untold havoc and mayhem on an unprecedented scale. Millions of people are at risk of starvation and the number of casualties is rising each day. This drought is the worst in the region for the last 20 years and has caused water supplies to dry up, crops to fail and livestock to die. People are in desperate need of food and water.
We empathise profoundly with the plight of the people of Kenya. Up and down in this country, people have offered prayers in various places of worship for the victims of this on-going humanitarian crisis.
Sanjay Jagatia, Public Relations Coordinator of Sewa International UK, said ?we have responded to the international call for aid and have launched an urgent appeal for donations to help the victims of this humanitarian crisis. Sewa International along with our partner organisations are working in the drought-affected areas providing food, shelter and medical assistance to all sections of the community. We have carefully selected Non-Governmental Organisations (Hindu Council of Kenya and Bharatiya Swayamsevak Sangh, Kenya) who are working relentlessly giving effective relief to the victims. These NGOs are held in high esteem for their effective Disaster Management, Rehabilitation and Transparency in Audit Trail of the funds sent to them in Kenya. Their hugely successful rehabilitation campaigns following various similar humanitarian crisis in Africa have earned them the highest respect and admiration from people all over the world.
Both partners of Sewa International?the Bharatiya Swayamsevak Sangh, Kenya and the Hindu Council of Kenya have been working actively in Kenya and other parts of Africa for many years. They have established systems that provide medical care, education, relief and self-sufficiency and capacity building for people who are adversely affected by poverty and disease. Their projects empower the local communities by enhancing sustainable development and education to low income communities; care for orphaned children; supporting widows and people with disabilities. Other projects that they are involved with enable access to drinking water in remote villages and tree planting to preserve the environment
The death and destruction of this tragedy is no longer carried as headline stories?in the newspapers, television and radio?but the people of Kenya will still need our help in 3, 6, 9 and 12 months time.?
The Government of Kenya has declared the following areas as severely affected by the drought: Machakos, Wajir, Mandera, Marsabit, Garissa, Kajiado, Mwingi, Kitui, Makueni, Isiolo, Kwale, Turkanaljara, and Tana River.
Shri Jagatia continued that ?our partner organisations have been working to ensure that food reaches areas where it is most needed, helping with transportation to remote affected communities. We urgently need funds to enable us to respond to this current crisis by providing clean safe water, immunising children against disease, supporting feeding centres where people can receive maize, beans, flour, fresh water and cooking oil and educating and empowering communities. Children are the worst affected by the drought and as part of our ?Food for Education Programme?, our aid workers have been also distributing ?Unimex??a special nutritious, fortified food recommended by the World Food Programme to children in over 700 schools and health centres.
Once again the Sewa International is making an appeal to the warm hearted people of UK to join hands and help us relieve the pain and suffering of the unfortunate victims in Kenya. We are encouraging schools, places of worship, businesses and community and voluntary organisations to do fund raising events to raise as much funds as we can for this appeal. Wherever you volunteer, or however you volunteer ? you will be making a real difference to the lives of these unfortunate people in Kenya.
Remember, the Sewa International is renowned for its very minimum overheads; hence more funds that are actually donated will reach the victims.?
He further said that the Sewa International works on the Vedic principle of: Vasudhaika Kutumbakam?The whole world is one family.?
?Help us to reach the unfortunate victims affected by the food crisis in Kenya before it is too late?, Shri Jagatia said.
(Sewa International UK is a service project of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh UK, Registered Charity No: 267309)
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