An unrelenting drought is pushing families from their homes in Somalia across the border into Kenya.
Arriving at the Dadaab refugee camp, they look weary, and the children are weak and sickly. Many have had difficulty finding food for months.
With 5 consecutive failed rainy seasons, most livestock have died, and the crops have failed. With their children’s health deteriorating, they had to leave to save their lives and those of their loved ones.
The number of those arriving in Dadaab from Somalia had steadily grown over the last 5 months. In July 2022, the UNHCR and the Department for Refugee Service (DRS) conducted a head count exercise for undocumented arrivals.
The number stood at around 46,000 individuals. By late October, the number had risen to over 55,000 people.
With an estimated 2,100 refugees arriving every week, the number of new arrivals is expected to be around 121,000 people by April next year.
We spent a day at Dadaab visiting a nutrition screening and stabilisation centre funded by EU humanitarian aid and run by the International Rescue Committee (IRC). The centre helps not only refugees but also the surrounding host community.
Story and photos: ©European Union, 2022 (photographer: Bertha Wangari)
Publication date: 03/11/2022
