Project Hope, the Bible Society of Kenya's outreach to Turkana people affected by drought, has so far delivered 2,000 food packs in Lodwar County. The food is normally distributed in batches of 500 to a cluster of villages. For the most recent distribution trip, the Bible Society partnered with the Anglican Church of Kenya in Lodwar.

Photo (KEN11DJ-26): A woman in Naotin during a trip by the Bible Society of Kenya and the Anglican Church of Kenya to distribute food packages to families affected by drought.

By Thomas Tharao, Head of Operations, Bible Society of Kenya.

The truck that arrived in Lodwar on December 9 brought 11 tonnes of food to feed 500 families for one month. From Lodwar, the team departed for Moruesse, 50kms away, but had to return to a closer village, Naotin, when it became clear that the truck would not be able to cross a dry river bed where the terrain was very soft. Some teenagers who had hitched a lift on the truck had to disembark and walk the rest of the way, 35kms, to Moruesse, to bring the news that the people there would have to walk to Naotin to collect food.

With the help of local people, the truck was unloaded in Naotin and distribution began early the next morning. The team were surprised to find that the villagers from Muruesse had already arrived, having set off at 1am and walked until 5am, taking advantage of the cool of the night.

Getting things going quickly, community leaders selected a spot with several acacia trees for shade and there was a time of worship and preaching before the distribution began.

People lined up calmly, their names were called out and each family received a food pack to last them for one month. The people from nearby villages then started the journey home, while those who had further to travel decided to wait until late afternoon when the temperature would be more bearable for the long trek.

The people

Simon Esinyen: Simon is an intelligent, energetic child who, unlike many of his peers, speaks fluent Kiswahili.  He does not know how old he is, but he looks around 10. He attends Naotin Primary School, where he enjoys English and playing football. His ambition is to become a doctor, but his learning is hampered by the fact that he has no textbooks or notebooks and his father has no money to buy any. For all the villagers here, the main concern is getting enough food. Simon has gone to bed hungry many times: his father has no job and relies on his goats, while his mother makes brooms from palm leaves. The family is struggling even more than usual at the moment because they lost most of their goats during the drought.

Alex Ekai: Alex is a young man who lives in Nepeikar village. What he wants most in life is education. He and his friends have attended some adult education classes, but finding a teacher and being able to pay for classes are real challenges. Thanks to the little adult education they have received, they are able to use mobile phones and to handle money when trading, but they really want to be able to read properly. They try to farm in their village but it is difficult to get the water to the farms. Sometimes they suffer three consecutive years of insufficient rain, and now the severe drought has killed many of their goats.

The outcome

Thanks to this distribution trip, 500 families will have a secure source of food for a month. This will in turn allow them to save the few animals that they have and give them hope of having a sustainable short-term livelihood. In the midst of their practical difficulties, people have a hunger for the Word of God and for education. This project will meet this need by providing Bibles, New Reader Portions and audio Bibles.