Drought Response in Kenya

Somali Children in Sankuri Division, Garissa

Rain is falling in Northeastern Kenya, but will it be enough?

Today is another cloudy day in Garissa. A fine mist of rain has raised the humidity, but there are no puddles of water to be found. After several years of failed rains, Northestern Kenya and the rest of the "Horn of Africa" are praying that this October-November rainy season will be different. They desperately need good rain as people rely on rainfall for pasture and rain catchments for water. If the rains do not come, the current famine and humanitarian crisis will only get worse.

During times of drought, tens of thousands of people are drawn to the Tana River. This mud brown river snakes from central Kenya eastward, forming a border with Northeastern Province and eventually emptying into the Indian Ocean on the Kenyan coast. Rate of flow is remarkable as water gushes past Garissa on its way to the ocean.

A few weeks ago, we were visiting farms started by the Kenyan Red Cross, north of Garissa on the banks of the Tana. As we visited with Somali farmers, a dark cloud opened up and wet our heads, but remarkably the ground beneath us never got wet. It was so dry, it was as if the rain evaporated before it could land. I've never seen anything like it before. If we can not trust the rains, why not the river?

As Canadian Baptist Ministries assists in famine relief, we are already beginning to work with communities to help them to literally tap into this resource and find food security and livelihoods through farming along the river. This represents a seismic shift in local culture and values, as we help traditional wandering pastoral communities settle into agricultural life.

This week, our colleagues Yattani, William, Laura and Pauline are carrying out a baseline assessment within three small communities where CBM will be serving. Please keep them and these communities in your prayers.

In Prayer:

* Please remember the people of the Horn of Africa.

* Pray for much needed rain.

* Pray for peace, humility and wise leadership that will be needed to stabilize Somalia.

* And please remember our CBM NEP team as we struggle to love and serve our neighbours in a way that will help bring about growth, healing and change.

To Learn More about how you can be involved with CBM's Drought Response

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