Children happily pose for a photo in Kisumu County, Kenya.

UNICEF in Kenya

Harambee — “pulling together” in Swahili — has become more important than ever as the country's crises multiply. Learn how UNICEF works with the government and local partners to support children and families in need, and how you can help.

 

A terrible drought, other shocks intensified needs in Kenya

Although Kenya has been one of the fastest growing economies in Africa, two thirds of Kenyans live in poverty. Severe drought, disease outbreaks and other shocks and other setbacks have hindered progress toward the country's development goals, increasing humanitarian needs.

Kenya's children are the ones who suffer the most.

Water scarcity is a major problem, hindering good sanitation and hygiene practices, heightening risks of disease.

Women and girls continue to travel long distances to access safe water, leaving them vulnerable to violence and other protection risks. The water burden on girls means less time for school, and higher risks of early marriage.

There is persistent food insecurity and high rates of child malnutrition. Children who are weakened by malnutrition are more likely to die of diarrheal disease from contaminated water. 

Nasri Garane carries 2-year-old son Liban Ali on her way to a water kiosk in Daley Village, Garissa County.
Nasri Garane carries her 2-year-old son Liban on her way to fetch water in Daley Village, Garissa County, Kenya. © UNICEF/UN0679014/Orina

How UNICEF is helping vulnerable children in Kenya

UNICEF works closely with the government in Kenya to respond to the needs of children and families in the most vulnerable communities, leveraging decades of expertise and leadership in the areas of water and sanitation, education, nutrition and child protection.

Ongoing interventions seek to mprove access to safe water and sanitation for those in need — especially in the arid and semi-arid land countries, where this is most challenging — and to strengthen delivery of primary health care services, including child immunization.

UNICEF is also focused on reaching and treating children suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM). UNICEF is the world's largest single procurer of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), a nutritious peanut paste and highly effective treatment for SAM.

A focus on children's health, protection and education

Children living in Kenya’s northern counties and urban informal settlements are more likely to die from preventable diseases than those living elsewhere in the country.

While vaccination rates are relatively high at 88 percent — an increase from 84 percent in 2014, thanks to support from UNICEF and other partners — only half of children living in pastoralist and underdeveloped countries of Kenya are fully immunized against vaccine-preventable diseases. UNICEF is focused on supporting vaccination campaigns in these areas, working with local partners.

Francis Chemino Eloiloi immunizes 5-year-old Akenson during a UNICEF-supported measles vaccination campaign in Kangataruk Village, northern Kenya
Francis Chemino Eloiloi, a mobile health worker supported by UNICEF, immunizes 5-year-old Akenson during a measles vaccination campaign in Kangataruk Village, northern Kenya. © UNICEF Kenya/2022/Odhiambo

Ongoing activities also include:

  • providing families with relief kits containing basic household items and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) supplies to help prevent cholera 
  • providing emergency shelter to people displaced by floods or drought 
  • rehabilitating boreholes so families have reliable, affordable access to the safe water 
  • installing solar-powered water systems to help communities adapt
  • making sure HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care services are widely available and accessible
UNICEF child protection specialist sits on a blanket during a visit with children whose parents left with the family's livestock to find fodder and water for the animals.
UNICEF child protection specialist visits children whose parents left with the family's livestock to find fodder and water for the animals. After seven months, their mother finally returned. © UNICEF/UN0722363/Berger

In child protection, UNICEF works with the government and other partners to:

  • increase community awareness about how best to safeguard and protect children from violence, exploitation, abuse and harmful cultural practices
  • provide safe and accessible ways to report sexual exploitation and abuse
  • support interventions to prevent and respond to gender-based violence
  • provide community-based mental health and psychosocial support services

In education, UNICEF is working with partners to improve the quality of learning and to support newly-enrolled students in drought-affected countries and in refugee settlements; training teachers; providing learning materials; and helping to renovate school latrines.

UNICEF is also helping to strengthen existing government-run social protection systems. This includes expanding humanitarian cash transfer programs, critical support that helps families who have lost their livelihoods meet basic needs.

How UNICEF supports Kenya's large refugee population

Kenya hosts more than 570,000 refugees and asylum seekers at several camps and settlements, 54 per cent of them children. The Kakuma Refugee camp in northwestern Kenya is one of the largest in the world. It is home to more than 160,000 refugees and asylum seekers from several countries, including South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Uganda and Rwanda. 

UNICEF supports refugees and host communities by providing a range of services to vulnerable children and families. These include enhancing child protection, education, health, nutrition and WASH services in and around the settlements of Dadaab, Kakuma and Kalobeyei. 

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to help children get educated, stay healthy, protected and respected. Unrestricted donations give UNICEF the flexibility to direct resources to the most urgent needs.

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TOP PHOTO: Boys play in Kisumu County, Kenya. © UNICEF/UN0612587/Orina
TOP PHOTO: Boys play in Kisumu County, Kenya. © UNICEF/UN0612587/Orina