Living in the scorching sun
In Kenya many pastoralist families are losing their livestock because of chronic drought and economic hardship, and are having to settle on the edges of towns and cities to scrape a living through local employment.
It’s a radical change in lifestyle that makes them dependent on the local markets – and vulnerable to fluctuations in food prices, wages, and currency values.
Aftin's story
Aftin is 12. He lives in a small settlement of former pastoralists who have lost their livestock and livelihoods. Because families like Aftin’s can no longer rely on livestock to provide them with milk and meat, their diets tend to lack protein. More and more children are becoming malnourished, as their families cannot afford to supplment their diets with protein rich foods like milk, meat, and beans from the local markets because prices are simply too high.
“My name is Aftin and I’m 12 years old. I live in a small village outside El Wak, Kenya. The place we live has a scorching sun. We have some goats that were given to us by a relative, but here hasn’t been rain for a long time, so there’s no grass for them to graze on anymore. If we had rain, they’d be able to graze and provide us with milk and meat. Now we have to feed them from our own grain supply just to keep them alive. They’ve become a liability.
“My father works as a truck loader in town. Before, the money he earned was enough to buy us food, and we ate three meals a day. We had tea and flatbread for breakfast, rice for lunch, and meat for supper. Now, we don’t have any food to eat during the day. I only eat one meal a day.
"In the morning I have one cup of black tea and then another cup in the middle of the day. In the evening I usually eat some boiled cornmeal or sometimes even some small potatoes. This isn’t enough food to keep me going through the day. I also have younger sisters though, and sometimes I find that they’re so hungry that they’re crying. So I often end up giving some of my portions to them so that they can eat well.
"I go to primary school and I’m in grade six. At school, I feel tired most of the day and weak with hunger. Sometimes, when I’m sitting in class, I feel really dizzy and my vision gets blurry – it makes it hard to see the blackboard. I have a hard time concentrating on the lessons that the teacher is giving us. So learning can be very difficult for me. But I like going to school because I think it is very important to have knowledge. We are a poor family, so if I can go to secondary school and then college, I will eventually be able to do something that could help my family. I want to learn so that in the future I can get a job where I can help my family. I would like to become a doctor so that I could help the people in my village who are sick.”
More information
Save the Children has implemented a food voucher programme in struggling communities in this region of Kenya. Reports indicate that the price of food staples like beans, rice, grains, and milk have gone up by 60%-100% over the past year.
Most families are reduced to eating one, grain-based meal a day. The lack of protein in children’s diets is a major cause of malnutrition and disease, and of death in children under five. This programme means families can get their vouchers redeemed in the local markets for high-protein foods. As well as improving children’s diets, this promotes investment in local markets. Aftin’s family aren’t beneficiaries of the programme, though other families in their community are, but Aftin’s case shows the need for programmes like this to provide essential nutrients to malnourished children.
