A huge thank you to those who supported our emergency appeal in June following the floods in Kenya.
270 of you came together to donate over £10,500. This, plus additional funding from Womankind,has been transferred to five women’s rights organisations in Kenya that are supporting relief efforts.
One of those organisations is the Young Women’s Leadership Institute (YWLI). They run programmes for girls and young women across Kenya but recently have been working to meet the needs of families who lost everything in the floods.
Utilising the emergency funding they’ve received from Womankind Worldwide, they identified over 2,400 people in six locations across Kenya that needed support in the aftermath of the flooding. Some of the most pressing needs identified were;
Food and basic household goods such as soap, sanitary pads, and bedding;
Building materials for families that lack shelter in Kibera settlement in Nairobi;
2 months of rent for displaced people in Kisumu, a city in western Kenya;
Psychosocial support - engaging counsellors for those who are struggling emotionally;
Seed funding to get livelihoods back on track in five locations;
School books for Kisumu-Kowala Primary School, affected by the flood in Kisumu city.
YWLI Executive Director Shyleen Momanyi on how the crisis has continued to unfold:
“The impact of the recent floods has left many survivors in dire straits. Those who lost their homes are now in varying stages of recovery: some have begun rebuilding on the same land with the help of community support and aid, while others are still staying with friends and relatives."
Following the floods, the Kenyan government ordered forced evictions of those living on riparian land. Shyleen added:
"By May, over 20,000 households had received 10,000 Kenya shillings each [$78 USD] to help with resettlement. However, the funds provided were insufficient to cover the full cost of resettling, leaving many families still struggling and some stranded without a permanent solution.“
Womankind is keeping in close contact with the women’s rights organisations that continue to drive relief efforts. Through the emergency funding you have enabled us to provide, we are hoping they can resume regular activities very soon.
As ever it has been so heartening to see the swell of support from Womankind supporters in response to this crisis. It is an example of the global solidarity we know and love.
With best wishes,
Martina Hoggart
Interim Director of Fundraising & Marketing Womankind Worldwide
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Header image: Bulldozer demolishing housing on flood-prone land in Mathare, Nairobi, Kenya (Photo credit: The Coalition for Grassroot Human Rights Defenders)
