Turkana's Drought Crisis: Urgent Food Need

0:00It's March 20th, here's what's happening around the world. In northwestern Kenya's Turkana region, a brutal drought has wiped out most livestock for families like Lodkoi Ebay's. She once had 50 goats, but now has just five skinny ones left, as pastures turn to dust after two failed rainy seasons. Recent rains have hit parts of Kenya, even sparking flash floods elsewhere, but officials with the National Drop Management Authority say Turkana. The downpours aren't even, and too weak to undo the damage, leaving vast areas of East Africa and crisis, with 26 million people facing extreme. Hunger in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia. For folks like Ebay in her early 50s, meals are rare often, just once a day, or every few days. Households forage for wild fruits from gingerbread trees, called Mikwamo, which they pound into a filling, but risky food that can cause stomach issues, if over eaten. Even her last goat gets a share. Villagers are pleading for help from county and national leaders, as past aid from groups

1:03dried up this year. Men have left for distant grazing lands, while women and elders scrape by. Local drought teams report over 320,000 people in Turkana need urgent food support right now. Aid is flowing from the Red Cross, World Vision, the UN World Food Program, and the Kenyan Government, with trucks loading supplies near the capital. But coordinators admit resources fall short of the massive need, urging more partners to step in as families hold on with whatever they can find. The Daily News Now is presented by our sponsor. Do not just listen to podcasts, get lost in them comfortably, S-O-L-I, solely pillow.com.