HOUSTON, Nov. 11, 2022 — Sewa International has contributed $10,000 to Sewa Kenya towards drought relief efforts in Kenya. It has also started a social media campaign to raise $100,000 for food distribution.
In the first phase, Sewa will distribute food kits to 3,000 families. Volunteers from Sewa’s partner organizations in the country have been distributing food kits to families hit hard by the drought in Kathiani and Kangundo areas in Machakos county. Soon, they will start providing food and other essential supplies in the Makindu area.
Sewa’s partner organizations, Bharatiya Swayamsevak Sangh (BSS), Kenya, and the Hindu Council of Kenya (HCK), lead these relief efforts. They also provide clean water, medical care, and educational facilities in Kenya’s remote villages. Volunteers from the Hindu Religious Service Center, Mombasa, Kenya, and Premchandbhai Foundation, Nairobi, are also helping in these relief efforts.
Kenya’s National Drought Management Authority (NDMA) attributes drought to four successive failed rainy seasons. According to the agency, an estimated 4.35 million people suffer severe hunger and need humanitarian assistance. Between October 2021 and March 2022, over 1.5 million livestock, particularly cattle and sheep, died. The agency says that in 2022, the drought situation worsened in 20 of the 23 counties in Kenya’s Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL). The agency also said over 755,000 children under five and about 103,000 pregnant women are malnourished. By some estimates, nearly 1,500 people die of hunger each day in drought-hit East Africa.
“Each food kit Sewa distributes costs about $20 (2,000 Kenyan shilling). We are requesting people in the US to donate to help people in Kenya. Sewa needs additional funds to immunize pregnant women and children against diseases that spread during the famine,” Sewa’s Vice President for Disaster Relief, Swadesh Katoch, said.
“Sewa provides maize, beans, flour, freshwater, and cooking oil in each food kit. We also supply Unimex, a nutritious fortified food recommended by the World Food Program, to children in over 700 schools and health centers. We are also running capacity-building programs for low-income communities to help them become self-reliant,” Vipul Shah, a volunteer from Sewa Kenya said.
About Sewa International
Sewa International (www.sewausa.org) is a 501 (c)(3) Hindu faith-based charitable nonprofit that works in the areas of disaster recovery, education, and development. Sewa has 43 Chapters across the USA and serves regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin.