Kenya: famine disrupts learning in schools

More than a million schoolchildren are among four million Kenyans faced with a food crisis, following the failure of short rains that were expected this season the Catholic Information Service Africa reports. President Mwai Kibaki has declared the poor food situation a national disaster and appealed for donations. The famine currently affecting five provinces, has seen children missing classes as families go in search of food. In the Northern Rift Valley Province, about 130 000 people and their livestock have been hard hit by the drought. The mainly rural population depend on their animals. In the Coast, Eastern, Nyanza and North Eastern provinces the situation is also serious, as crops failed. A number of Catholic agencies are already involved in co-ordinating food aid. For more information contact the Kenya Catholic Secretariat e-mail: secgeneral@catholicchurch, or basilica@todays.co.ke Source: CISA