Malnutrition at Kakoma Refugee camp in Kenya after US aid discounts

The United Nations official told the BBC that hundreds of thousands of people “are slowly starving” in Kenyan refugee camps after the United States reduced the discounts in food shares to the lowest levels ever.

This effect is flagrantly visible in a hospital in the sprawling Kakuma camp in the northwest of the Eastern African state. It is home to about 300,000 refugees who fled the conflict in countries throughout Africa and the Middle East.

Spokesperson fills a 30 -bed suite at Amusait Hospital in Kakuma, and stare empty in visitors as they receive treatment for severe acute malnutrition.

One child, Helen, barely moving. Parts of her skin are climbing and peeling, leaving angry spots of red – as a result of malnutrition, as the doctor told the BBC.

Through the corridor lies a nine -month -old child, James, the eighth child of Agentis, a refugee from northern Uganda.

“Food is not enough, my children eat only once a day. If there is no food, what do you feed?” You ask.

James, Jelin and thousands of other refugees in Kakoma rely on the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) for biological power.

However, the agency had to significantly reduce aid in many countries after President Donald Trump announced discounts in US foreign aid programs earlier this year, as part of his “First America” ​​policy.

The United States has provided about 70 % of funding for the program in Kenya.

The World Food Program says that as a result of discounts, the agency was forced to reduce refugees to 30 % of the minimum amount of the recommended amount that a person should eat to stay in good health.

“If we have a long position where we can turn it, then we have a group of starvation slowly,” says Felix Oct, head of refugee operations in Kenya.

Outside the Kakuma Food Distribution Center, The Sun excels on the dry and dusty ground, and security officers are running the waiting lists of refugees.

He leads them to a contract center and then the verification area. Relief workers wipe the refugee identity cards and take their fingerprints, before taking them to collect their shares.

Mukuniwa Bililo Mami, the mother of two children, brought Jerrycan to collect cooking oil, along with lentils and rice bags.

“I am grateful to receive this small (food), but it is not enough,” says the 51 -year -old, who arrived in the camp 13 years ago from South Kevo, an area in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo who was affected by the conflict.

Mrs. Mami says that the refugees used to “eat well” – three meals a day. But now that the shares have reached 30 % of the usual amount, the food that was served is not enough to continue one month, not to mention the two who were asked to extend.

It was also affected by other victims of discounts – cash transfers.

Until this year, the United Nations has granted about 4 million dollars (3 million pounds) directly cash for refugees in Kenya’s camps every month, aiming to allow families to purchase basic supplies.

Mrs. Mami, who suffers from diabetes, used cash to buy food, such as vegetables, which were more suitable for her grain diet that was distributed in the distribution center.

Now, I was forced to eat everything available.

The money was also used to start a vegetable garden, rear chicken and duck, which he sold to other refugees, in the market.

But stopping cash transfers, known locally as “Bamba Chakula”, means that the market is facing a collapse.

Merchants like BADABA Ibrahim, who is located from the Nuba Mountains in Sudan, are no longer able to expand credit lines to his refugee colleagues.

42 -year -old runs a retail store at the local shopping center. He says his customers are now unable to buy food, sometimes a camp in his store all day, beg for help.

“They will tell you,” my children haven’t eaten for a whole day. “

Elsewhere in the Kakoma camp, 28 -year -old Agnes Livio offers food to her five young children.

They live in a cabin, about 2 meters (6 feet and 6 inches) by 2 meters made of corrugated iron leaves.

LIVIO offers food on one large plate for everyone to share. It’s the first meal of the day – in 1400.

“We are used to getting porridge for breakfast, but not anymore. So, children should wait until the afternoon for the first meal,” says Ms. Levio, who fled from South Sudan.

Returning to Amusait Hospital, paramedics feed a number of children with pipes.

Three young children and their mothers – return to society where food is rare and conditions deteriorate.

The possibility of obtaining more financing is not very promising, and unless things change during the next two months, refugees are staring at hunger in August.

“It is a truly comfortable situation,” Mr. Okeck admits.

“We have some signals from one or two donors about support with this cash component.

“But remember that the gentle and generous United States was providing more than 70 % – so if you are still missing 70 % … these possibilities are not good.”