AFRICA/KENYA - UN programme to combat poverty and marginalisation and guarantee respect for the rights of women and children

Mandera (Agenzia Fides) – For many women in the town of Mandera, in a district in north east Kenya unsafe, arid, and difficult to reach, life is a continual struggle for survival, from infancy to adulthood. Young girls suffer genital mutilation which leaves permanent physical and psychological wounds. Most adolescent girls are stopped from going to school, and forced into marriage and early pregnancy. Mandera is a typical marginalised community suffocated by local conflict, extremism, precarious human development and cross-border terrorism. The people live in dire poverty and desperation. These factors together cause high maternal mortality rates reaching 3,795 deaths every 100,000 babies born alive. Moreover traditional culture including marginalisation of women, genital mutilation and early marriage only worsen an already serious situation.
There is some hope for change however thanks to the decentralisation of government, the decision to give more power to local authorities to open medical centres to provide basic mother-child care . The idea is to provide better products and services to improve mother-child care among the most vulnerable people. To tackle the problem a group of representatives of various bodies, Kenya’s presidency and Ministry of health, and the local Red Cross offices. Moreover the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, (OCHA), after visiting Mandera plans to provide primary assistance for 25,000 people by means of more efficient medical supply chain, increased availability and demand for services for young people, professional training, to help young people assume their responsibilities and to promote research. (AP) (27/10/2015 Agenzia Fides)

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