Kenya

WeWorld has been present in Kenya since 2009. We work in the fields of food safety, protection of children's rights, education, and health.  

Food safety is one of the most problematic issues. We intervene to to support the population in difficulty by distributing food, mainly products made up of enriched flours, suitable for children and pregnant women. Furthermore, we provide support for the implementation of medical-nutritional examinations and screening.  We carry out awareness-raising programmes on the good nutritional practices that should be followed, involving officials from the ministries of Education, Health and Agriculture, but also teachers and members of the civil society. 

Thanks to our intervention, in 2018 the Nutrition and Advocacy programme in the County of Migori was implemented, which subsequently led to the creation of the County Nutrition Action Plan.  

Many communities are characterised by a low level of hygiene and by poor access to clean water, which is one of the main causes of the high incidence of diseases. In addition, the health facilities are very dispersed and the population has to travel long distances to reach them.  

We intervene through activities aimed at increasing awareness on the correct and equitable use of water resources within the communities and schools and on the good hygiene practices to follow. We have built systems for the collection of rainwater, toilets as well as facilities for hand-washing in the schools. We pay particular attention to the issue of gender equality also with respect to health and for this purpose we have also provided reproductive health services for women.   

Dropping out of school in Kenya is a common experience for many children, the reasons of which can be different: a nomadic pastoral lifestyle (typical of the Maasai community of the Narok county), early marriages in the case of girls or the long distance from school.  

We are committed to protecting the right to education, especially in the counties of Migori and Narok, where we have implemented various types of action. We have built classrooms equipped with chairs and desks and provided children with school texts and teaching materials. In addition, we have carried out awareness-raising activities on the importance of education and on the prevention of the truancy phenomenon, as well as organising courses for young people on reproductive and sexual health.   

Finally, we work for the protection of children's rights by organising training meetings and awareness-raising events at the government, community and even school level. In the Karungu and Gwassi divisions, specific support and ad hoc services, such as medical care, payment of school fees and supply of school uniforms, was provided to orphaned and particularly vulnerable children of the project's target schools. In the area there is a strong presence of HIV, which has a devastating effect on young people: many are left orphans and the economic collapse of the family unit means that they have to give up their studies to meet basic needs.