How timely emergency cash assistance is helping a mother rebuild life for her seven children in drought-affected Turkana
Four months ago, we met Lokolita at a community registration and verification exercise in Turkana Central, where she had joined hundreds of other vulnerable families hoping to receive emergency cash assistance. She shared the challenges of raising seven children on her own after years of drought had taken away the family's livelihood. When we visited her home three months later, the first thing we noticed was the laughter. Her children ran around the compound as lunch cooked over a small fire inside their house. The mother who once worried about finding her children's next meal welcomed us with a smile that reflected happier days and healthier children.
Through emergency cash assistance supported by the Kenya Humanitarian Fund (KHF) and implemented by World Vision Kenya, she has so far received KES 14,000 over the past four months. The support has helped her put food on the table and care for her children during one of the most difficult periods her family has faced. She is expected to receive another round of assistance in the next cycle. With the first and second cash transfer cycles, Lokolita bought maize flour, beans, cooking oil, sugar and other household essentials, enough to ensure her family had food in the house. For the first time in months, she says, she could go to bed knowing there would still be something to cook the following day. Today, preparing meals has become part of her daily routine, a simple moment, but one Lokolita does not take for granted. "There was a time when my children would ask for food, and I had nothing to give them. Today, I can cook for them, and seeing them eat until they are full brings me so much joy." She says.
The biggest change, however, is not the food stored in Lokolita's house, but the health of her children. When we first met Lokolita during the registration and verification exercise, two of her children had just been diagnosed with malnutrition, leaving her fearful for their health. During our return visit, she shared the news she had long hoped to hear. After attending routine nutrition follow-up clinics, health workers assessed the children and confirmed that they had recovered well. As they played with their brothers and sisters around the compound, laughing and full of energy, it was hard to tell which two children had once been at risk. Today, they are healthy, active, and, like the rest of the family, enjoy three meals a day. "The health workers told me my children are doing well. As a mother, nothing makes me happier than hearing that," she says, smiling.
Her eldest daughter has watched her mother's journey every step of the way. ‘‘There were days when my mother struggled so much, looking for food. Sometimes I stayed at home to help look after my younger siblings because she could not do everything alone. It was painful to see her worried all the time. Now our home feels different as we eat together, we are healthy again, and that makes me happy. I want to study so that one day I can help her," she says.
Although life has improved, Lokolita knows there are still challenges ahead. The drought continues to affect many families across Turkana, and she still worries about school fees and finding a stable source of income. But having food in the house has given her peace of mind.
"When my children have eaten, I sleep better. I still have many worries, but I am no longer wondering how they will survive the day." She says.
Lokolita is one of many vulnerable people across Turkana's four targeted sub-counties receiving emergency cash assistance through support from the Kenya Humanitarian Fund and implementation by World Vision Kenya. Families were identified through a community-led targeting process that prioritised those facing severe food insecurity, including female-headed households, families with malnourished children, older persons, people living with disabilities and households that had lost their livelihoods because of the prolonged drought.
As lunch was finally served, the children gathered around their mother, laughing and chatting as she handed each of them a plate. Watching them eat together, it is easy to understand why Lokolita says this is the happiest she has felt in a long time.
"I pray this support continues," she says. "There are many families like mine who still need help. I believe that when children have enough food, they grow healthy, they can learn in school, and they can look forward to a better future."
By Mirriam Mwikali Kioko, Communications Specialist (Emergency Response), World Vision Kenya