Project Healthy Children and Sanku have partnered with The World Food Program (WFP) to deliver important nutritious flour needed in Kenya’s refugee camp ‘Kakuma’ – specifically for the 69,000 refugee children.
Kakuma means ‘nowhere’ in Swahili and is the name given to the refugee camp due to its remote location and harsh environment. Coupled with poor infrastructure and low access to essential necessities like medicine and food, people in Kakuma need our assistance as they lift themselves out of hopelessness and desperation.
Established in 1991 and located 95 kilometers from the Kenyan-Sudan border, the Kakuma camp was designed to accommodate South Sudanese refugees fleeing from the conflict and violence of the Bor Massacre from the second Sudanese civil war. The camp now accommodates a population of 179,000 people from throughout the region, including those from Sudan, Somali, DRC, Burundi, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Eritrea, Uganda, Tanzania, and Congo Brazzaville.
Except for the small minority who were able to establish shops, the wide majority of the population of Kakuma are currently dependent on the food rations supplied by WFP for their survival. Unfortunately, the food rations do not provide the important nutrients necessary for a healthy life.
In September 2015, WFP asked PHC and Sanku to support its School Feeding Program, and to provide the necessary nutritious flour for more than 69,000 children. Working with Technoserve as our technical partner, we installed fortifying dosifiers at two mills—enough to serve all of the families in need
Felix Brooks-church, President of Sanku, traveled to Kakuma to install the devices and train WFP and local milling staff, while witnessing the harsh living conditions.
“I had the honour of meeting WFP’s Regional Director of East Africa, Alison Oman, and learned how these refugees were forced from their homes to escape dangerous circumstances. People often mistakenly think of refugee camps as safe villages administered by the UN, but in fact they are often ghettos where people are exposed to disease and violence. So without access to nutritious food, these families fall victim to preventable sicknesses…especially malaria, HIV, and diarrhea.”
Allison Oman was surprised to learn the cost benefit of using Sanku technology. For just $2,500 per unit, a fortifying device can serve more than 30,000 people with nutritious flour, providing each person with the necessary nutritious food for basic health. When this program in Kakuma is successful, WFP plans to scale it across other WFP refugee programs throughout east Africa. Your help with funding this program in Kakuma materially improves the lives of tens of thousands of families, giving them a chance to rebuild their lives.
We are grateful for our generous supporters.