The Maasai community along the edge of the Maasai Mara National Reserve is suffering from an acute collapse of food and health security in the wake of COVID-19. This project will purchase and deliver food and other life-saving provisions to over 300 rural families in extreme need in the Maasai Mara. It will also provide sanitary supplies to girls, deliver school materials, and provide much-needed education on containing the virus. The project will make a tangible impact on 5000 people.
The Maasai people in Kenya - already a vulnerable and marginalized population - have been especially hit hard by COVID-19. With the closure of markets and the complete collapse of safari tourism (exacerbated by months of historic flooding), they have lost their food supplies and only means of income, with nothing to fall back on. On top of this, the reality of the pandemic is not well understood here, greatly increasing the risk of exposure to this community and to populations beyond.
We will deliver maize flour, red beans, cooking oil, vegetables, soaps, face masks, and other provisions to 300+ rural families in extreme need. The work is carried out by volunteers from Mara Discovery Community Centre. We will also deliver sanitary towels for 250 girls in poor families, deliver school materials to 250 families, and provide public health education through radio programming and village outreach with the local clinic. This is a follow-on to a successful project in April/May.
In early May, we delivered provisions to 314 families. This project extends the initiative - now well tuned - to 300 more families in extreme need, including an identified group of people with disabilities. We are also expanding this to provide sanitary towels, learning materials from schools, and education on the virus. This initiative will secure the well being of over 5000 people, providing a bridge to their long-term survival. It is also fueling vital community plans for future resilience.
