Special Report 2013 Nyatike, Kenya Your update from your sponsored child s community in Nyatike, Kenya
Dear Friends, As Country Programme Manager for Kenya, it is my job to monitor the work that World Vision is doing in the community where your sponsored child lives. While based in the UK, I get immense pleasure from my visits to the community each year and to see first-hand the effects of your generous support on the lives of children and their families in Nyatike. We hope you enjoy reading this year s update and thank you again for your support! Roz Elliott, Country Programme Manager, Kenya PS Why not visit our World Vision UK Facebook page to see photos and updates from sponsors who have visited their sponsored child. If you are interested in arranging a visit, call our Sponsor Visit Specialist on 01908 244 442. Many people lack access to safe drinking water this pond is used by animals, making it highly contaminated.
Children learn how to avoid bilharzia infection Urgent needs call for quick responses We have long-term goals with the children of Nyatike, but sometimes urgent needs come up that we have to address. We recently received a report that 105 children were infected with an illness called bilharzia, which is most often contracted by swimming in ponds. We partnered with the local government and schools in the affected areas to put together an educational campaign to help stop the spread of bilharzia, and together were able to bring the epidemic under control.
Clean water for 180 households! In Nyatike, access to clean water is hard to come by. But, with your help, we re changing that. This year, your support and the contribution of community members made it possible to build three shallow wells, which provide clean water to 180 households. It s already having an impact: safe water for drinking and other domestic uses has drastically reduced cases of diarrhoea in Nyatike. Over a period of three months, visits to the local health centre for diarrhoea decreased from 47 to 18. This shallow well has transformed the lives of local people who now have access to safe drinking water
Community workers are trained in how to educate families about HIV Raising awareness of HIV HIV and AIDS is a huge problem in Kenya, including Nyatike. That s why we re working hard to help stop the spread of this fatal disease. We have trained workers who go into homes to offer support to families affected by HIV and AIDS, and to raise awareness about how to prevent the disease from spreading. We also saw an increase from 210 to 270 people visiting our counselling and testing centres over a period of three months. We hope this will mean fewer people becoming infected in the first place.
Children gather round to test out their new well. Thanks to your support, some children no longer have to walk long distances to collect water Water works We re seeing the effects of new water wells in so many different areas. In addition to decreasing instances of illness, the new wells in Nyatike have helped improve participation at local schools. Before the wells were built, boys and girls often spent long hours in search of safe water. Because water is now much more accessible, more children have enrolled in local schools, attendance levels have improved, and drop-out rates have fallen.
A bit more about Kenya Kenya is the most industrialised country in eastern Africa, with significant chemical, printing, textile and mining industries. HIV and AIDS remains a major problem in Kenya; with over one million people infected with HIV, Kenya has the eleventh highest HIV prevalence of any country in the world. In agriculture, important cash crops are coffee, tea, sugar cane, maize, wheat and cotton. But around 80% of people are subsistence farmers who take little part in any of these industries. The staple food is maize, made into a thick porridge called ugali, and usually eaten with beans or vegetables. Poorer people are not able to have a balanced diet, and this can lead to malnutrition, particularly amongst children. World Vision is helping people to grow more food and diversify their diets. We are also providing access to clean water and hand-washing facilities in order to tackle the spread of waterborne diseases. Another priority is education, and we ve been working on improving school attendance, repairing classrooms and providing school equipment. Here s the facts Population: 41.6m Infant mortality per 1,000: 84 Life expectancy: 57 Average years of schooling in adults: 7 Maternal mortality rate per 100,000 live births: 530 Source: http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/ken.html Nyatike, Kenya
Lifecycle of a World Vision sponsorship programme Phase 1 Years 1-3: Building trust and laying groundwork Partnership with community established. Communities and World Vision plan long-term projects together. Phase 2 Years 4-9: Building skills together World Vision and communities work together so children and families benefit and participate in projects such as education, nutrition, clean water and healthcare. Nyatike community is in Phase 3 Phase 3 Years 10-close: Building long-term solutions together Communities equipped to continue improving child well-being including education and health. Children should be cared for and protected in a loving environment. It s a heartbreaking fact that each night over 8 million children go to bed hungry. JOIN THE CAMPAIGN TODAY The fact is there is enough food for everyone we give enough aid to stop children dying from hunger and help the poorest people feed themselves we stop big companies dodging their taxes in poor countries so that millions of people can free themselves from hunger we stop poor farmers being forced off their land, and use crops to feed people, not fuel cars. we force governments and big corporations to be honest and open about their actions that stop people getting enough food. Together, we can make 2013 the beginning of the end for hunger. Join the campaign and share your voice at www.worldvision.org.uk/if All photographs 2012 Kenneth Kibet/World Vision Registered Head Office address: World Vision UK, Opal Drive, Fox Milne, Milton Keynes, MK15 0ZR World Vision is a registered charity no. 285908, a company limited by guarantee and registered in England no. 1675552. Registered office as above 2013_KEN_NYA