Emergencies
Eldoret IDP Camp after seasonal rains began, March 2008. Over 202,000 Kenyans wait for assistance in 235 Internally Displaced Camps across the country (Copyright: KRCS)

Child Protection is our Focus

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Toronto, ON (April 17, 2008) Save the Children remains extremely concerned about the lasting impact of the post-election violence on children.  202,470 children and adults are living in 235 temporary camps across Kenya.

Many families have been too frightened to return home because of continuing ethnic tensions, and could remain in the camps set up for homeless people for many months.

Calm has prevailed in the southern Rift Valley region of Kenya, but gang violence continues to be reported in Nairobi and some parts of western Kenya.  Increased banditry is being reported in parts of North Eastern Province as the effects of drought worsen and people turn to other means of survival.

The seasonal rains have caused some flooding in a few of the IDP camps and aid agencies are working to address the worst problems. Detailed registration of IDPs is underway, which will provide details of IDPs’ intentions to relocate and land ownership issues. 

Save the Children is Responding
Save the Children has raised $800,000 CAD for our emergency programs in Child Protection, Education, Nutrition, and Livelihoods.   The program goals are to ensure that children and their families are protected from harm, and able to access temporary educational and recreational activities in order to create a sense of normality to their lives. Our emergency program includes:

  • Child Protection – We are now running training workshops on child protection guidelines with government and volunteer staff. We have set up a Child Protection Committee in Eldoret Showground IDP camp, comprising of parents, youth and children. They will help to resolve child protection issues and convey children’s issues to camp management level.   
    • We continue to work alongside other agencies in setting up safe spaces for children in the camps. The children can play with toys, read books and enjoy activities facilitated by volunteers in the spaces while their parents work.
  • Education – We continue to equip 15 schools within the camps and nearby, with locally-made furrniture and tents.  
    • To ensure education for the estimated 900 primary aged children in the Nakuru Showground camp who are not yet back in school, four nearby schools (Lenana, Moi, Prisons and Milimani) will be provided with additional materials, furniture and semi-permanent classrooms.
    • 600 School uniforms, recreational materials, and fencing, will be produced by IDPs in the Nakuru Showground under a "cash-for work" program to help families gain some income for their immediate needs.
  • Nutrition – We are providing supplementary feeding where malnutrition in children has been registered. The Kenyan government, Kenya Red Cross Society, World Food Program and its partners have jointly delivered 8,769 metric tonnes of food to date.


Save the Children has been operational in Kenya since 1984, with programs relating to education, HIV/AIDS, advocacy on child rights and child participation, food insecurity, and emergency response.

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