Page 19 - Aidlink AR 2021

Woman collecting water, Turkana. Photo credit GCN
over
20,000
children supported with school feeding programme
children and their families supported
circa
15,984
Lockdown poverty and prolonged drought has forced many families to marry off under-age daughters to ease expenses and there has been a considerable increase in the number of girls undergoing Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) as communities return to harmful traditional norms.
In times of drought, the burden of collecting water often falls on women and girls, who are currently walking distances of up to 30km to fetch water. These long journeys and absence from school expose women and girls to the risk of gender-based violence and sexual assault.
Finally, domestic issues such as high inflation and the upcoming general election in August 2022 have increased security threats, as electioneering is creating societal tensions. High inflation rates and the impact of the war in Ukraine are causing the price of basic commodities such as food, fuel, gas and electricity to rise, disproportionately affecting the low- and middle- income populations’ ability to buy food.
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