Provide food, education in ASAL regions
Mr Abdi Mahat, a teacher at Hormuud Primary Secondary School in Ifo-II Refugee Camp, Dadaab Refugees Complex in Garissa County takes standard three pupils through a mathematics lesson.
Recent research shows that more than 3.5 million Kenyan children will miss out on school when the new term begins this month due to the ongoing drought and famine.
While the right to education should be enjoyed by all children, those in the arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) may not have an opportunity to access learning owing to the severe drought that has caused debilitating hunger among local communities. Low enrollment and high drop-out rates have been recorded, putting the future of many children at risk.
The government and humanitarian actors need to do more to ensure that all children have access to safe and quality education. Without that, children from pastoralist communities could be at a disadvantage and may not have the same opportunities as their peers from the rest of the country.
Besides limited resources in schools and a shortage of teachers, the drought has pushed children further away from school. Every minute that goes by means more children’s lives are increasingly at risk as they miss out on education, hence more disadvantaged.
School meals
The government ought to ensure maximised and efficient running of school feeding programmes during drought situations, especially in the areas worst affected by the dry spell. Most of these children depend on school meals. Also, violence against women and girls must end. We can begin at home and school by teaching children to respect boys and girls. Also, use social media to challenge bullying.
The power to change the world—for women, for girls, for everyone—is in our hands. Let us involve stakeholders such as chiefs, NGOs and religious groups on social media platforms to design and implement campaigns to raise awareness of gender equality and leadership.
Let us create a world where girls, young women and other marginalised groups have the power, freedom and representation to make decisions and shape the world around them, as equals.
Mr Ngotiek is a journalism and communication student at Rongo University. [email protected].
