When Hunger Left a 91-Year-Old Too Weak to Walk and a Father Struggling to Feed His Family
At 91 years old, many would have assumed that Longolan could no longer walk because of her age. But when she arrived at a beneficiary verification site in Turkana County, supported by her 59-year-old son, the truth was different as days without food had left her too weak to stand. She could barely speak, and her family had gone for days without a proper meal. Like many households across Turkana, years of drought have robbed them of the livestock they depended on, leaving little hope that tomorrow would be any different.
Just a few homes away, Mike, a widower and father of four living with a disability, was facing a different struggle. With no livestock left and limited mobility, providing for his children had become harder with each passing season. His eldest daughter, only 12, had stepped into responsibilities no child should bear, caring for her younger siblings while her father searched for food that was often scarce. Both families had reached a point where hunger was sapping their strength, their dignity and, slowly, their hope.
Across Turkana County, prolonged drought has left thousands of families struggling to meet even their most basic food needs. Through support from the Kenya Humanitarian Fund (KHF), World Vision Kenya provided emergency cash assistance to some of the most vulnerable households, including older people, persons living with disabilities, and families that had lost their livelihoods.
Four months after we first met Longolan, we returned to her home. She was no longer crawling. Although she still needs support to walk, her strength has improved, and her family says she is once again enjoying the simple moments she had almost lost. For years, her youngest son has cared for his elderly mother while also providing for his own family of 18 children. After the drought wiped out their livestock, they exhausted every means they knew to survive. Some days, they survived on wild fruits, while other days, they went to bed hungry.
Today, the situation is different. While the rest of the household shares one meal a day, they make sure their mother enjoys three meals every day, something her son says has made all the difference to her health. "My mother became weaker because she wasn't eating enough. Now she eats well, and we have seen her regain her strength. Seeing her walk, even with support, is something we never imagined just a few months ago. We only pray that this support continues, especially for elderly people who cannot fend for themselves." Says Eipa, Longolan’s son.
For Mike, the drought left a different kind of burden. After losing his wife several years ago, he did everything he could to provide for his four children despite living with a disability. His eldest daughter became his greatest support. At just 12 years old, she cared for her younger siblings while her father searched for food, often returning home with little or nothing. "It hurt seeing my children sleep hungry. As a father, you want to provide for them, but there were days I came home with nothing. Sometimes I wished their mother was still here to help us." Says Mike. His family was identified among the most vulnerable households during the community registration and verification process and later received emergency cash assistance.
Today, his daughter spends less time worrying about where the next meal will come from and more time simply being a child. She now serves lunch instead of wondering whether there will be anything to cook. ‘‘My children no longer sleep hungry, and that gives me hope. I only pray that families like ours continue receiving this support because we still have no other source of income." He says.
In Turkana, emergency cash assistance supported by the Kenya Humanitarian Fund (KHF) and implemented by World Vision Kenya is helping families meet their most urgent needs, protecting those often hardest hit by crisis and households with no reliable means of earning a living. Longolan and Mike have each received KES 14,000 over the past four months and are hopeful for the next cycle of support as they continue rebuilding their lives. For one grandmother, it meant finding the strength to walk again. For one father, it meant watching his children eat without wondering where the next meal would come from.
By Mirriam Mwikali Kioko, Communications Specialist (Emergency Response), World Vision Kenya