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Nomadic Kenyans suffering from drought, famine

By Gabe LaMonica, C (CNN)!orl" #elie$, a Christian e%an&elical ai" or&ani'ation, is colla(oratin& )ith *enyan ch+rches an" non,&o%ernmental or&ani'ations ( -.s) to stem the ti"e o$ ac+te maln+trition across the northern re&ion o$ *enya calle" T+rkana/ 0amine to"ay 1is rarely mentione" anymore,1 sai" 2on -ol"en, a senior %ice 3resi"ent $or !orl" #elie$ (ase" o+t o$ Baltimore/ 4t is a )or" reser%e" strictly $or Somalia, he sai"/ B+t $amine, like a 3la&+e, s3rea"s, an", 14n reality it5s a %ery lar&e $oo" sec+rity crisis in%ol%in& a n+m(er o$ co+ntries an" millions at risk,1 sai" -ol"en, re$errin& to the crisis sit+ation in %ast re&ions o$ east A$rica/ 1!e ha%e the means to sto3 $amine,1 he sai"/ 1The only reason it is ha33enin& no) is (eca+se o$ al, Sha(a(,controlle" territory in Somalia/1 Accor"in& to -ol"en, re$+&ees $leein& the al,Sha(a(,"ominate" $amine areas o$ Somalia are e6acer(atin& the sit+ation in T+rkana, a re&ion alrea"y 3oor in reso+rces/ 1The ol" sayin& is that "ro+&hts are nat+ral "isasters an" $amine is manma"e,1 he sai"/ 1 early one,7+arter o$ the chil"ren in T+rkana are malno+rishe" or at risk o$ maln+trition,1 -ol"en sai"/ T+rkana is "ro+&ht,stricken an" encom3asses an area )here a &reat (o"y o$ e%i"ence $or early homini" "e%elo3ment has (een +nearthe"/ Areas east o$ the salt)ater 8ake T+rkana ha%e 3ro%i"e" a (oon $or archaeolo&ists, )ho ha%e reco%ere" $ossils $rom the Pleistocene era9 the $irst A+stralo3ithec+s sk+ll an" :omo ha(ilis )ere $o+n" here/ 4n ;<=>,1T+rkana (oy,1 or :omo erect+s or :omo er&aster )as $o+n" here/ 4n a s3eech this March, then,?/S/ Am(assa"or Michael #anne(er&er calle" *enya a 1 5ha%e,not5 co+ntry relate" to )ater /// )ith an a%era&e o$ less than ;,000 c+(ic meters a%aila(le 3er 3erson 3er year/1 Americans ha%e access to $o+r times that m+ch )ater/ Pastor Simon "e&)a o$ Parklan"s Ba3tist Ch+rch in airo(i, some 700 miles a)ay $rom T+rkana, sai" the 3eo3le there 1are $irst a comm+nity isolate", they are secon"ly a comm+nity $acin& con$lict e%ery "ay, an" they are thir"ly a comm+nity that5s li%in& in a terrain that5s %ery, %ery challen&in&/1 4t is a terrain that Peter Smer"on, the chie$ o$ me"ia relations at the ?nite" ations Chil"ren5s 0+n" (? 4CE05s) &lo(al hea"7+arters in e) @ork, is $amiliar )ith/

Do the Turkana ha e to change to sur i e! 1All the ari" an" semiari" areas ha%e similar 3ro(lems o$ li$estyle as to )hether it contin+es or not,1 Smer"on sai"/ Sto33in& 3eo3le $rom star%in& to "eath is "i$$erent than ena(lin& them to $en" $or themsel%es/ 1There5s a )ay o$ hel3in& that can h+rt,1 sai" "e&)a, )ho colla(orates closely )ith !orl" #elie$/ 1Sometimes inter%entions ha%e the ca3acity to com3letely take a)ay )hat5s so %al+a(le to a 3eo3le,1 he sai"/ 4n the case o$ the T+rkana, )ho are a 3astoralist, animist 3eo3le, )hat are %al+a(le to them are their cattle an" their a(ility to mo%e aro+n" in search o$ 3ast+res/ Their noma"ic ten"encies take them across co+ntry an" tri(al (or"ers/ 1!e sho+l"n5t A+st thro) these 3eo3le on the "+st hea3 an" say look, yo+r li$estyle is no lon&er 3ermitte" an" yo+ nee" to (e a $armer,1 Smer"on sai"/ Be$ore comin& to ? 4CE0, he )as )ith the !orl" 0oo" Pro&ram o3eratin& o+t o$ northern *enya/ 14n B006,1 he sai", 1the 3eo3le )ho s+r%i%e" the "ro+&ht the (est )ere those )ho e"+cate" some o$ their chil"ren )ho no) )ere )orkin& in (i& to)ns like airo(i an" a(le to sen" money (ack in or"er to s+33lement loss o$ li%estock/1 Smer"on an" -ol"en a&ree that to create s+staina(ility $or an isolate" 3eo3le in to"ay5s interconnecte" )orl", there has to (e a (ri"&e/ The ans)er then, lies in e"+cation/ 4nitially, in an emer&ency sit+ation, 1e%eryone is sayin& )e )ant )ater an" $oo",1 Smer"on sai", 1(+t at the en" they are sayin& )e )ant school $ees/1 4n a mo"ern )orl", 3eo3le can s+r%i%e $amine (y 1&i%in& +3 their )ay o$ li$e, settlin& in internally "is3lace" 3ersons (42P) cam3s an" )aitin& $or $ree $oo",1 -ol"en sai"/ 1E"+catin& schoolchil"ren is a )ay to chan&e li$estyles1 $or isolate" chil"ren &ro)in& into a &lo(ali'e" )orl" an" 1there$ore they can &et a Ao( an" 3ro%i"e a li$eline (to their $amilies) )hen there is a "ro+&ht,1 Smer"on sai"/ 1There5s the emer&ency res3onse (+t also %ery m+ch a reali'ation that yo+ ha%e to hel3 comm+nities (+il" +3 their resistance an" $in" other )ays o$ earnin& money,1 he sai"/ "e&)a sai", 1!e m+st hear the cry o$ a %+lnera(le 3eo3le, the T+rkana, "+rin& their ho+r o$ nee"/1