Rotary District 9212, Kenya Red Cross Seek Donations, Volunteers For Flood Response
By Eric Ombok
Rotary District 9212 — which cover Kenya, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Eritrea—and the Kenya Red Cross Society are calling for donations and volunteers to come to the aid of more than 20,000 people affected by floods in Kenya.
Those who want to intervene as individuals can deliver items such as blankets, tents, cooking oil food and clothes at the Kenya Red Cross headquarters in South B, Nairobi or at the organization’s kikuyu branch. Volunteers should report to Kenya Red Cross by 9am daily for dispatch to various locations.
“Persistent torrential rainfall has unleashed devastating floods, which have claimed 210 lives as of today, caused injuries to many more and wreaked havoc on property, infrastructure and livelihoods,’’ Kenya’s President William Ruto said in a national address.
The re-opening of schools in Kenya after the April holidays, which was scheduled for April 29, has now been postponed indefinitely due to the havoc caused by the floods. The situation is expected to worsen, as meteorological reports indicate the rains will persist, increasing both in duration and intensity for the rest of the month of May and possibly beyond. Kenya may even face its first-ever cyclone along its coastline.
At Aide Maria Primary School in Nairobi’s Mathare 4A, about 300 households are displaced. The total number of people is estimated at 900. In a different section of Mathare, Twaweza Group, there are 350 displaced and the estimated number of people is 600. At Huruma Camp, located at Ngei Primary School in Nairobi, there 100 displaced households and the estimated number of people is 300.
In Mai Mahiu, there is a total of 120 families or 310 people in need of assistance. At Millgate Primary School in Kitengela, there are 110 families comprising of 176 adults and
158 children, whose household items have been swept away by floods, although their houses are haven’t been affected much.
The Rotary Action Group for Disaster Network has also come on board and provides items that will be distributed by Rotary clubs, The Action group has also started fundraising and will meet the District leadership on May 6, 2024.
