Charity worker Sally brings new hope to drought victims
AN aid worker from Macclesfield has visited Kenya to meet communities recovering from a devastating drought.
Sally Tyldesley, 30, from Rainow travelled to Kenya with the overseas development charity CAFOD to meet communities who were affected by the 2016 East Africa drought.
Sally, who works as a Climate and Energy Policy Analyst, helped the communities plan for future droughts by growing a greater variety of crops and by managing their water supply.
She said: “Coming from a place that literally has ‘rain’ in its name, it’s hard to imagine what it’s like to live somewhere with so little water. Drought is not new to people in Kenya, but, as one of the people I met put it, ‘drought is always with us now’.
“Increasingly frequent droughts are making it harder for people to cope. The last major drought came after two years of failed rains.
“In Kenya, I met people living in the village of Mudhe where, until two years ago, women used to have to walk 19km – a two-day round trip – just to collect water for their families’ basic needs.
“Over a cup of camel milk tea, I was told how the support provided by CAFOD’s local partner, Caritas Marsabit, means that the community is now better prepared for when drought hits.
“They now have a water source within the village, and by collectively saving and loaning money, people have been able to start small businesses. This means they can now afford to pay school fees for their children to attend school.”
While in Kenya, Sally presented the Overseas Inspiration Award to the CAFOD Kenya Green Energy Project. The group won the award for a project which provided solar energy to rural communities.
Nearly 100 schools had solar lighting installed, increasing learning time by up to three hours a day, and 29 schools were provided with solar water purification systems, enabling pupils to access safe drinking water.
Rural health centres also benefited as nearly 50 had solar powered lighting, water purification systems and fridges installed.
“This means vaccines can now be stored locally, and patients, including pregnant mothers, can now safely be seen at night.
“It was inspiring to speak to the people there, who could now talk with hope about their plans for the future,” said Sally.
“Support for projects like this across Kenya is possible thanks to people in the UK who raised over £5 million during the 2015 CAFOD Lent appeal – which was doubled by the UK government.
“By summer this year, the support of people in England and Wales will have helped 450,000 men, women and children to become more resilient to the changing climate.”