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Ashleigh Wallace, Belfast Telegraph, 25th March 2006
An Irish aid worker based in northern Kenya has urged
the people of Ireland to support efforts to alleviate the hunger
of the millions currently affected by drought.
Simon Roughneen (28), an aid worker with the GOAL
humanitarian agency, has been in Kenya for two months and has seen
first-hand the effects the drought is having on the people of the
region.
And with drought comes the loss of animals which are
vital not just for food but for livelihoods.
With famine looming and no sign of rain, Simon revealed
GOAL is currently working to bring food to the most vulnerable people
ahead of the next harvest season.
Simon, from Co Mayo, said: "Hundreds of tonnes
of food need to be delivered to the most affected areas and in the
short term, we need to give people enough food to tide them over
until hopefully the rains come again."
Whilst working in the region, Simon met with goat
herder Ekiru Lotiayan, who revealed how he walked for two days with
his herd of 35 goats, just to reach a dried-up river bed.
Ekiru told Simon: "We have suffered with the
hunger for many years. In Turkana, we have not had proper rain for
two years. Our animals are dying and we are suffering. We need our
animals to love. We have no other way. We have no other source for
living except for these animals. I have lost 30 goats, four camels
and four donkeys since this drought started. There are no jobs here.
We cannot grow things in such a place. Our goats are our gardens.
And when they die, we will soon follow."
Simon, whose father is from Belfast, urged the people
of Ireland - north and south - to help alleviate the plight of the
Kenyans by putting pressure on their politicians.
He said: "This is a huge problem, bigger than
any aid agency. People can help by giving money to any aid agency
but they can also talk to their political representatives and ask
them to put pressure on both the British and Irish governments.
"Both governments have donated generously, but
politicians can be asked to use their influence to get other governments
who maybe have not been as generous to give a little more money."
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