The worldwide lockdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic ignited a global hunger crisis.
The problem is especially acute for nearly 4 million people in Kenya.
World Vision, an Evangelical Christian humanitarian aid, development and advocacy organization is the UN World Food Programme’s largest partner in food distribution.
Edgar Sandoval Sr., president and CEO of World Vision USA, says the lockdowns resulted in skyrocketing prices and high unemployment, a toxic mix for food insecure communities in Kenya.
He told The Christian Post, “If you’re still able to make $1 a day, now you’re paying … $34 (or more than $4,000 Kenyan Shillings) for a sack of maize. Triple the price that it used to be.”
In these challenging times, the ongoing hunger crisis brings worry even for food insecure Kenyan families that own something of value.
Sandoval said, “When food is short, there are raids on people’s livestock.”
And the lack of food is causing other family problems. Due to the ongoing threat of hunger to their families in these villages, the men, in many cases, have to leave their families to find food in the nearest town that can be hours away by car.
Sandoval explained, “So they stay there for a month and maybe three months. They may not come back. The children are left with single parents. And so, more kids drop out and on and on until there is this vicious cycle. That’s the challenge.”