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KENYA: People in 85 desert villages receive aid

Don Bosco Mission Korr distributes humanitarian aid to people in the Kaisut desert

KENYA

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries at Don Bosco Mission Korr in Kenya distributed humanitarian aid to people living in the Kaisut desert, within the diocese of Marsabit. Survival in the desert has been made even more difficult by the COVID-19 pandemic. Don Bosco Mission Korr is part of the Salesian Province of East Africa and was founded in 1980. It offers assistance to the local population made up mostly of nomadic people whose lives revolve around the continuous search for water and vegetation.

Salesian missionaries work on a daily basis to reach the 85 villages near the mission. To reach some of the villages, missionaries must travel distances of more than 150 kilometers (93 miles).

“Salesians have to travel long distances to help ensure local populations have what they need to survive,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “This has been particularly difficult with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Many people are in great need of food, water and other supportive services. Salesians continue to do everything they can to reach people in these remote communities.”

According to the World Bank, more than 7.8 million people in Kenya are living in extreme poverty, with the majority in rural areas. There are approximately 6.6 million people living on less than $1.90 a day in rural regions, while 1.1 million extreme poor people live in urban areas. Overall, the poverty incidence declined in recent years, but at a lower rate in urban areas than rural ones.

Youth living in Kenya’s larger cities like Nairobi live in slums and are at risk for exploitation, forced labor and other abuses. Few attend the later stages of school as compared to those living in Kenya’s more rural areas. The few schools serving this disadvantaged community are beyond the financial means of most families.

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – Kenya – Salesian mission of Korr brings aid to desert population

Salesian Missions – Kenya

World Bank – Kenya

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