QATAR CHARITY IN ACTION IN NORTHERN KENYA

Qatar Charity takes part in the international urgent relief efforts for victims of drought and famine in Somalia.

QC has allocated QR 800.000 as urgent relief for the victims in four provinces in southern Somalia. At least 2000 families, almost 14000 internally displaced persons from various districts of the capital, Mogadishu have benefited from this program.  About 800 severely affected families from the relief camp of "Deldacourse", more than 5000 displace people in Southern Somalia (Bay, Bakool, Gedo, Middle Jubba, Lower Jubba and Lower. Shabelle) have so far beneficiated of dried food supplies and daily necessities, including cooking oil, rice, flour and dates. While another 1200 families in Eil-gaab camp in the southern of Mogadishu have as well beneficiated of relief supplies.

This come as Qatar Charity (QC) has been placed the second position with regard to number of beneficiaries and relief activities in the month of July in Somalia, according to a report prepared by the UN Office for the Co-ordination of the Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), beating a number of big international humanitarian organizations.

http://nkcaucus.blogspot.com/2011/08/press-release.html

Mr. Al-Nimah also met with the Mayor of Joache village who said that this village was hosting more than 60 refugee families, mostly from Jisr A’Shoghoor. . Mr. Al-Nimah, the Mayor and NGO officials discussed the immediate needs of refugee families, especially the needs of children and women.

According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Somalia is facing a level of famine not seen since the 1980s.
  
An acute drought and continued fighting have forced hundreds of thousands of civilians into already overcrowded refugee camps in neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia, where over 1400 new refugees are seeking shelter every day. 
The World Food Programme estimates that 10 million people already need humanitarian aid and the UN Children's Fund estimates that more than two million youngsters are malnourished and in need of life-saving action.

Qatar Charity has recently implemented an urgent relief worth QR 365.000 for more than 10.000 victims of drought and famine in four provinces in southern Somalia.
 Last January, QC implemented a 365,000 Qatari Riyal emergency relief project in Somalia. The project benefited over 10,000 people.

PRESS RELEASE

Situation Report on Northern Kenya Drought and Famine

The Pictures say them all. You have seen the glaring images of malnourished children clad on the backs of starving mothers trekking miles upon miles in faint hope of finding help. Hundreds of thousands are reported dead across the horn of Africa. . At this rate, millions more are in danger of dying from starvation. Help is needed. Your help is needed now. There is no sign of rain in sight. Not any time in the near future.

Kenya, which has traditionally hosted refugees and displaced persons from neighboring countries, is now also staggering with millions of its own citizens and immigrants tightly gripped by famine.

There is a lot of blame game about how this famine could have been averted, who is responsible and on and on. But it is no time for blame. It is time to act and act quickly.

In Kenya, the Northern region is the hardest hit. From Lake Turkana to the borders of Somalia and Ethiopia, the scenes are horrifying. The look on sunken eyes and collapsed cheeks of innocent children is permeating.  This region has suffered periodic droughts but the magnitude of this famine is beyond any recent memory. In fact, experts say famine as pervasive as this one has never been recorded.


Northern Kenya Caucus(NORKENYA) along with many other Local NGO's under the KENYA-SOMALI NGO's CONSORTIUM is leading an effort to bring together donors and philanthropic organizations and individuals to help provide water and food to starving families in Kenya.

We are appealing to organizations, businesses and persons to join this emergency response and contribute both in cash and kind.

Please send your DONATIONS to Northern Kenya Caucus Drought and Emergency Fund A/C # 110066 , FIRST COMMUNITY BANK KENYA LIMITED

For more information from in/outside Kenya, Pls call +254.726-814-441

PRESS STATEMENT BY KENYA-SOMALIA NGO's CONSORTIUM

The failure of The International non-governmental organizations (INGO's) Working in Kenya and Somalia tackling the Horn of Africa Drought

On behalf of well recognized local NGOs in Kenya and Somalia, We are condemning all The International non-governmental organizations (INGOs) based in Kenya and Somali on their recent lack of clear policies and decisions on tackling the Horn of Africa drought where more than 10 million people are thought to have been affected across the region including large areas of Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya as a crisis or an emergency. The drought and war in Somalia has led to unprecedented numbers fleeing across the border into Kenya, with about 3,500 people arriving every day. Three camps at Dadaab, just inside Kenya, are home to well over 350,000 people, but they were built to hold just 90,000 and are severely overcrowded.

Humanitarian relief is worth as much as $10 billion annually, funded and delivered through a mosaic of donor organizations, bilateral and multilateral agencies, NGOs, Red Cross movement agencies, private contractors and military force.

The International non-governmental organisations (INGOs) have failed to ensure food security and it's our ultimate warns that the situation is continuing to deteriorate, and the number of people in need will continue to increase. Thought we are trying helping the drought victims but getting aid deeper into Somalia is very slow, very complicated and very dangerous failed by The International non-governmental organisations (INGOs). The International non-governmental organisations (INGOs) are not taking the necessary measures; the Horn of Africa famine is the scandal of this century.

We are dozen of experienced local aid organisations already working throughout Somalia, Kenya - a fact that often gets lost in the furore over al-Shabab's hostile attitude towards some of the bigger The International non-governmental organisations (INGOs).We have asked to work with in partnership with The International non-governmental organisations (INGOs) but one is willing to work with us. We are local, well respected and have great trust within in Kenya and Somalia.

The International non-governmental organisations (INGOs) do operate according to various norms and guidelines, that there is no also a significant diversity in approach, and in the degree of coherence between them. Each tier of this relief chain creates risks of mismanagement, diversion and corruption, potentially reducing the assistance that reaches people in need. As recent scandals relating to sexual exploitation have shown, the corrupt abuse of the power involved in the aid relationship may not only be financial. The process of deciding who gets assistance in emergencies offers a series of opportunities for corruption. The recipients of aid are often particularly vulnerable to abuse, such as demands for payment to be included on registration lists. The time pressures of emergencies, large-scale procurement processes, rapid recruitment and dramatically expanding budgets all raise further corruption risks.

It is a shame that in the twenty first century, a century heralded by great advances in technology and developed economies that drought and famine still persists in some parts of the world. The end of the Cold War increased the hope of many people that the world's political and economic system would be changed for better, following the narrowing of ideological differences that had so polarized the world. It was hoped that humanity would be better off, as everyone benefited from a new era of world peace and economic development.

The International non-governmental organizations (INGOs) are not supporting through finance and technical to drought stricken victims, not investing in national or local capacity for a sustained response to hunger and supporting local, national regional initiatives. They are not increasing funding for cash transfers to needy families and reduce the emphasis on in-kind food aid. Where such aid is needed, it should be sourced in-country or regionally in order to strengthen local livelihoods.

The International non-governmental organizations  (INGOs) in Kenya and Somalia are not committing in working in partnership on food and agriculture, which should build on existing global, regional, national and local mechanisms, and are not sustaining the collaboration, not ensuring effective co-ordination, enforcement of local agreements, and convergence of support from international institutions around improved national, local-level responses.

The International non-governmental organizations (INGOs) are not strengthening local and national mechanisms of prevention and response to food crises rather than just delivering aid to people and not supporting local civil-society organizations to participate in shaping and implementing national food, agriculture, and social protection policies.

Corruption, in efficiency and Ineffective among The International non-governmental organizations (INGOs) has largely contributed to the failure of talking the Horn of Africa drought.

We urge the Kenya Government to and other governments to intervene the situation which thousands of innocent drought victims are dying every day.

We look forward to receiving your response.

Yours sincerely,