Fatuma and her daughter Hani, outside their home

By Sadia Ayan

Fatuma, a mother of seven children, who lives in Fafi Sub county, Garissa County, faces the daily challenge of making ends meet, especially with a health condition. The family endured severe hardship during the devastating drought and was further affected by the ravaging floods that followed in November 2023.

When Fatuma's daughter, Hani was admitted for Severe Acute Malnutrition during ongoing health outreaches and they weren't receiving any other assistance, the situation became dire. However, during cash transfer beneficiary selection, the community identified and verified their eligibility. Fatuma’s Husband, Abdikadir Hassan*, was enrolled in an unconditional cash transfer program worth KES 11,700 for seven months by Save the Children.  This support enabled her to cover the basic needs of her household, primarily food and provided crucial assistance during the recovery from the drought and support during the flooding period.

“During droughts, my children were severely affected. Sometimes, we could only eat during the day and stayed hungry until the next day. My children couldn't even go out to play because of hunger. We had no neighbours to borrow food from, so we struggled to provide for our children. We used to have six goats, but some were stolen, and our chickens were affected by diseases. During these difficulties, we were selected for cash assistance by Save the Children due to Hani's malnourished condition. Through this assistance, I managed to buy food and keep my children fed.” says Fatuma.

Fatuma's family, like many others in Garissa, belong to a minority group facing socio-economic challenges. Living along the river, they rely on farming and livestock for their livelihood.

“Before receiving cash, we relied on my husband, who burns charcoal from the Prosopis tree (Mathenge). When he burns charcoal, we produce only a few bags, around 4 or 5 bags, which we sell for Ksh 200 each. Sometimes, we need to use public transport to take it to the market, and the payments are often delayed, sometimes up to three weeks.” says Fatuma.

The cash transfer assistance received by Fatuma has significantly enhanced the well-being of her family, enabling her to buy medicine, nutritious food for her children and withstand the hardships.

"When we were selected for the cash transfer through Hani's nutrition condition, our situation began to improve.  The money, I received helped me to buy fruits and food that helped Hani become healthy and gain weight. Eventually, Hani was discharged from the programme because she was deemed to be in good health,” adds Fatuma.

Fatuma and her husband narrate on the devasating floods that almost took away their lives. They say that they were living near the river, and one night the water came in, carrying away all household items, including the donkey they used for transporting charcoal and moving with. Fatuma’s entire family moved to higher ground and were rescued by a wooden boat. However, while in the middle of the journey, the wooden boat collapsed, and they almost drowned. Fatuma’s children had to be rescued first while she grabbed onto a tree and waited for her turn to be rescued. Eventually, they were able to move and settle in a safer location.

“Throughout these challenges, Save the Children continued to provide us with cash support, which greatly helped us overcome the difficult times. As a parent, I wish for my children to grow into a better life and take care of me. My other wish is for Save the Children to continue supporting vulnerable families." Says Fatuma

Multiple shocks and stresses have affected Garissa and Wajir County, including extreme weather events that have exacerbated food insecurity and disease outbreaks. It is estimated that about 3,500,000 people in Kenya needed immediate humanitarian assistance, with 351,568 people in Wajir County and 252,406 people in Garissa County requiring assistance.

During this challenging period, humanitarian assistance to drought-affected communities in Wajir and Garissa Counties, funded by USAID’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance, was implemented by Save the Children in 2023 in five sub-counties, including Fafi, aiming to support individuals affected by the drought. One of the program activities was unconditional food assistance in the form of cash, aimed at assisting vulnerable families affected by droughts.

Save the Children provided cash transfers which enabled the household to reduce negative effects of drought and subsequent floods that followed. Save the Children also conducted medical outreaches including health, nutrition, and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services to Fatuma’s family. It is through referral that the family of Fatuma received cash which enabled them to access food and essential needs for her family.