Stefan Booth Online

Stefan in Kenya with World Vision

'We must stop this from happening again,' says Stefan Booth, following Kenya visit with World Vision

Dancing on Ice star Stefan Booth, has spoken candidly about the desperate needs of drought-affected communities in Kenya, following a six-day visit to the country with international relief and development agency World Vision.

A severe shortage of rainfall has caused crops to fail and farmers have lost thousands of goats and cows. The failure of crops and the loss of cattle has meant that many communities have lost their livelihood and are being forced to rely on food aid in order to survive.

The six-day visit to the northern region of Turkana, was an opportunity for Stefan to meet affected communities, hear their stories and see the work World Vision is doing to mitigate against the drought and food shortages.

In one village, Stefan met Kole, a 45-year old father of 18, who had recently lost two sons aged nine and seven to malnutrition. "I didn't want to pry into Kole's story", said Stefan "but he took my hand and led me to the grave of his seven-year-old son. Kole was grief-stricken and angry and said that he wished he had died in place of his son. I felt terribly helpless as there was little I could do for Kole, apart from assure him I would tell people his story when I returned to the UK."

Stefan also travelled to irrigation projects and saw boreholes which World Vision had built in partnership with the communities. "World Vision had provided the funding for an irrigation system which is helping to irrigate crops and save lives", said Stefan. "The construction was relatively simple and inexpensive and yet is making a massive difference to the lives of the families living there. I began to realise that while short-term fixes such as food aid are very much appreciated, the communities need long-term solutions which will enable them to remain self-sufficient and not be dependent on aid. "

World Vision and other aid agencies estimate that up to 13 million people in five countries across east Africa will be affected by food shortages this year. Currently, the most severely affected countries are Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. World Vision works in all five affected countries and responds by providing immediate relief but also in the longer-term, by partnering with communities to develop boreholes, irrigation schemes and provide agricultural training as well as education on nutrition and sanitation.

"I've been very deeply moved by the people I met and the stories I heard while in Kenya", said Stefan, "And I now want people to know how they can help. It's imperative that we stop this from happening again – and it is possible, by providing long-term solutions which will mean that families will be able to survive even when the rains don't come."

10 April 2006

http://www.worldvision.org.uk