Kakuma Refugee Camp Holistic Support

IsraAID’s work in the Kakuma Refugee Camp, located in northwestern Kenya, includes a number of projects seeking to support the 190,000 residents of the camp, refugees from neighboring countries including South Sudan, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

IsraAID’s Child Resource Centers, one of which is located in Kalobeyei village II, and the other in Kakuma IV, offers a safe space for some 150 children.

The centers are run by 20 local facilitators from the refugee and host communities who have undergone training with IsraAID to provide psychosocial within the center. The center is open 6 days per week for 8 hours per day to support the community’s needs.

Children in Kakuma and Kalobeyei face a myriad of challenges. 55% of the Kakuma Refugee Camp population is comprised of children under the age of 18; many of these children are unaccompanied minors or separated children. As of February 2017, 80% of children have lost one parent, and 50% are double orphaned.

Two weeks ago, a group of mothers from the Child Resource Center located in Kalobeyei came together to clean up the outdoor space adjacent to the kids’ play space. They worked together for a couple of days, clearing the yard of stones and tree stumps. The IsraAID field team joined them in the project, ensuring that children attending the center are safe during play time!

This community clean-up initiative comes follows another exciting moment for our Child Resource Center: a new hook-up directly to a water source! Before this renovation, staff members would carry jerrycans to and from the center each morning for use in cooking, cleaning, and in the bathroom. Now that the center has an active water tap, the parents are planning to plant a garden!

Thank you for your ongoing support of our work in the Kakuma Refugee Camp!