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Tag: ENOUGH Campaign

  • Elgeyo Marakwet gets Ksh 800M to strengthen maternal and child health

    Elgeyo Marakwet gets Ksh 800M to strengthen maternal and child health

    In a significant move to combat severe malnutrition and improve maternal and child health in Kenya, World Vision and the Elgeyo Marakwet County Government have launched two transformative health projects aimed at significantly improving maternal and child health and nutrition in the County.

    World Vision and partners are advancing a combined investment $6.04 million (Ksh 803.4 million) to impact over one million people in Elgeyo Marakwet County over the next decade through the Global Affairs Canada-funded REACTS IN (Realizing Gender Equality, Attitudinal Change & Transformative Systems in Nutrition) Project and the BMZ-funded Grow ENRICH (Enhancing Nutrition Services to Improve Maternal and Child Health in Africa) Project.

    According to the Kenya Demographic Health Survey (KDHS) 2022, in Elgeyo Marakwet, 22% of children under five are stunted, 4.8% are wasted, and 13.9% are underweight, and just 25.5% of children under two receive the minimum dietary diversity required for healthy growth.

    These projects are part of World Vision’s broader commitment to combating malnutrition and promoting gender equality in the region.

    REACTS IN is a seven-year programme focused on improving nutrition, nutrition-related rights, and gender equality for the most vulnerable women, adolescent girls, and children under five years in Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Bangladesh, while the Grow ENRICH initiative is a four-year project designed to boost maternal and child health and nutrition by strengthening health and nutrition systems and implementing gender-sensitive strategies in Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania.

    The timely projects will also seek to address gender inequality in the indicated regions, and help address challenges such as teenage pregnancy which stands at 12% in Elgeyo Marakwet compared to the national average of 15%; additionally, women in the County face higher rates of physical violence at 30% compared to the national average of 34%, according to KDHS 2022.

    Speaking at the launch on Thursday, Elgeyo Marakwet Governor,  Wisley Rotich, expressed gratitude to World Vision and partners for the investment, which promises to transform the lives of countless families in the County. “With poverty rates at 46% in Elgeyo Marakwet, higher than the national average, access to food is a significant challenge, leading to alarmingly high malnutrition rates among our children.

    Astonishingly, in every 10 children in the County, five are uncertain of their next meal,” Governor Rotich stated, “Through these pivotal projects, we anticipate a major shift that will empower families to access sufficient food and lead more stable lives.”

    He added that the projects will also help reduce harmful practices driven by food insecurity and poverty.

    World Vision Board Member Dr Anne Kimari said, “Despite extensive efforts worldwide, malnutrition remains a pressing global public health issue. The situation in Elgeyo Marakwet is no different. We have children who are still facing high malnutrition and that is why we are here today,” she said, adding, “Through strong partnerships with Nutrition International, Harvest Plus, McGill University, Anglican Development Services (ADS), Kenya Agricultural Research Organizations (KALRO), the government, and local communities, we will strive to improving nutrition, nutrition-related rights, and gender equality for the poorest women, adolescent girls, and children under five.”

    In Sub-Saharan Africa, the prevalence of wasting of children under 5 years was 5.7 % in 2022, while under 5 mortality rates were 73 deaths per 1,000 live births – approximately 3 million in 2021.

    In light of these alarming rates of stunting and hunger especially among children, World Vision has committed to focus the next three years on reducing hunger and improving nutrition for 125 million children across 67 countries where they are suffering most, 27 of those countries are in Africa, and 9 are in East Africa, including parts of Kenya, through its ENOUGH campaign, recently launched in Kenya.

  • Campaign launched to end child hunger and malnutrition in Kenya

    Campaign launched to end child hunger and malnutrition in Kenya

    World Vision Kenya has embarked on a campaign aimed at combating child hunger and malnutrition in Kenya.

    Dubbed ‘‘ENOUGH’ the initiative seeks to address the alarming prevalence of food insecurity, ensuring every child has access to nutritious food for their well-being and development.

    The child-focused humanitarian organisation aims to improve the nutritional status of vulnerable children in Kenya through targeted interventions, reducing hunger in the most affected communities through the three-year campaign.

    Conflict, climate shocks, rising cost of living, and declining food production have all contributed to food scarcity and high food prices.According to the 2023 Global Hunger Index (GHI), Kenya ranks 90th out of the 125 countries with sufficient data to calculate 2023 GHI scores. With a score of 22.0, Kenya has a level of hunger that is serious.

    First Lady Rachel Ruto lauded World Vision for the initiative, noting that advocating for enough nutritious food for every child, both at home and in school, through ethical and sustainable sourcing is commendable.

    “There’s no greater indignity than children attending school hungry. We’ve made significant strides, reducing stunting from 26% in 2014 to 18% in 2022. Overall, nutrition has improved. Yet, 847,000 Kenyan children under five face acute malnutrition, down 14.5% from 2023. We must unite to scale interventions in food security, health, nutrition, and finance to reach our goal of less than 5% childhood wasting by 2025.” Rachel Ruto said.

    Dr. David Githanga, Board Chair of World Vision Kenya, said, “Our vision is a world where every child enjoys enough nourishing food. Despite advancements, the statistics remain staggering. Globally, up to 783 million people faced hunger in 2022, with Kenya bearing its share of the burden.”

    He added that in 2023, World Vision Kenya invested over 13 billion Kenyan shillings, with more than half dedicated to projects directly contributing to food and nutrition security, benefiting 1.9 million children and 1.5 million adults. Through integrated health programmes, the organisation operated in 21 counties, focusing on child protection, and disease prevention. Additionally, humanitarian efforts provided vital assistance to 1.3 million individuals affected by emergencies, with over 780,000 children receiving life-saving aid.

    However National Director Gilbert Kamanga noted that more needs to be done to address the malnutrition challenge in the country.

    “No child in Kenya. should die from hunger and malnutrition. We are intensifying our advocacy and collaboration efforts to work with government, partners and communities to develop and implement sustainable solutions. We must prioritise awareness, community resilience, and long-term strategies to address the root cause of hunger.” Kamanga said.

    This is in line with the Government’s committed to enhance the school meals programme initiative by working with multiple stakeholders to find innovative and sustainable funding sources for school meals and expand the coverage from the current 1.9 million children to universal coverage by 2030.

    The Campaign also calls for improved data collection, climate-smart agriculture, and policy reforms even as the Kenyan Government plans to establish a national policy on school meals by June 2023 as well as strengthen the efficiency and accountability mechanisms of the school meals initiative.

    The ENOUGH Campaign is a global initiative connected to Sustainable Development Goal Zero Hunger. Simultaneously, World Vision International launched the ENOUGH Campaign across Africa, committing US $1.7 billion to address the escalating hunger crisis, targeting to improve the nutritional status of children in 27 vulnerable countries.