My first encounter with a real drought situation was in 2019. I volunteered on a food donation campaign called KENYANS FOR KENYA initiative in the Northern part of the country- Turkana. The two weeks I stayed in that community was a total wake-up call for the experience reminding me up to date why I must protect the land.
From watching kids and mothers suffer, I bore the pain in my heart and I founded the Partee initiative to raise awareness on sustainable land use practices and training communities on how to adapt and mitigate effects of climate change.
Droughts are the most severe and traumatic experiences that humanity faces. Over 40 degrees every day on your skin, 3 meals a day is a dream. Women walk over 10 km every day to look for water and it’s not a guarantee of getting clean water.
The sight of starvation and faces that have lost hope remains the greatest reminder of how lack of food is the worst punishment to humankind.
Every day you are welcomed by carcasses of dead livestock, malnutrition children, no shade, the wind blows unapologetically destroying houses, and worse the sand and loose soil enter the eyes.
Violence and insecurity are rampant as people fight for available resources, poverty, loss of lives, school dropouts’ and risky migrations.
Livelihoods are lost every season, when it’s dry and when it rains due to flooding. Rivers dry up and turn into roads.
Every day in drought land is like you are in dreamland, you lie down hoping for a good dream but the same conditions hit you,,, Nobody should say communities get used to the conditions, it’s like adding salt to a wound every day and worse of all, they have to endure it for several months.
Bouncing back from the effects of droughts or flooding never happens. In Turkana the community suffers every season thus they have been rendered poor to even adapt. They are vulnerable to any condition because of degradation. The land remains bear
In Turkana, the community lacks early warning and preparedness to cope and adapt to the crisis.
To be honest, I always thought and imagined droughts happening in Africa alone. This is the myth that the majority of people have but experiencing the high temp was an eye opener that droughts are now becoming common and that no country, rich or poor is exempt from droughts.
However, drought and high temp in Spain were manageable, there were no water shortages and the city is well designed with public parks for people to relax, and buildings and transport buses are equipped with cooling systems unlike in Kenya
Spain has a well-outlined warning system and infrastructure to cushion its people. The weather department was very consistent in sending notifications on weather conditions. The country has laid and put in place long-term interventions to build resilience unlike in Kenya where the government reacts once droughts have occurred.
The country has built resilience through adequate water supply, sustainable agriculture, transport sector energy, public health, and ecosystems.
In Kenya, lives are lost, schools close due to droughts or floods, children are forced to learn under trees, and due to lack of clear livestock offtake by the government, livestock dies.
Governments need to invest in early warning signs and have long-term interventions to cushion and build drought resilience.
Governments need to invest in proactive approaches rather than reactive approaches when dealing with droughts.
There is a need for developed countries to build partnerships with developing countries for resource mobilization and technical support in laying drought-proof infrastructure.
Governments – Allocate drought finance
- Invest in both long- and short-term interventions and policies that protect and improve livelihoods. Governments must increase their coordination and integration with other CSO and NGOs to equip communities with resources that will help them respond to droughts.
- Invest in water infrastructure measures like dams, and water harvesting to enhance water security.
- In pastoral communities, Governments need to establish livestock offtake programs
- Use of SMS to pass weather updates to citizens for proper planning and preparedness
Communities- Should Put in place supportive measures to protect the vulnerable groups in the community.
- There is a need for collaboration in rolling out nature-positive and restoration activities like the Great Green Wall.
- Welcome needs ideas and technical support aimed at improving their food productivity like drought-tolerant crops and diversification of crops.
Young people – They should explore land-based jobs and promote sustainable land use.
- They should use their voice to advocate for land rights just like they have mobilized forces toward climate Action.
- Be Agents of change in protecting and creating awareness of the need to protect the land.
Rising up from drought means bearing in your heart what people in drought regions feel daily and taking initiative. We can together end drought only if we embrace the spirit of Ubuntu and remain united for land. Land restoration and reclaiming degraded land and biodiversity should be our shield against droughts.