Nutri-Kakuma is an initiative that brings networking, outreach, training and food production together to address anaemia, malnutrition, and food deficiency in Kakuma.
Refugees and asylum seekers who reside at Kakuma Refugee Camp do not have access to an adequate food supply. This situation results from the camp's harsh conditions, work restrictions, drought in the Horn of Africa, and forced displacement. Women, children, and teenage girls suffer the most from this challenge. The World Food Program (WFP) provides monthly ration to every household, supplementary aliment for pregnant women and children in clinics, and a school feeding program for children in schools. Despite these efforts, financial restrictions means that WFP cannot fully serve refugees and asylum seekers appropriately to address food deficiency issues, malnutrition, and anaemia.
According to a study conducted by the WFP in 2021 in Kakuma, 8 out of 10 children under 5 years of age suffer from anaemia and/or other nutrient deficiency issues. In addition to children, pregnant women and young girls suffer from anaemia and food deficiency issues. For example, limited access to iron, the nutrient whose deficiency causes the increasing rate of anaemia in the refugee camp, has been the most notable lacking nutrient in the diet of refugee children, pregnant women, and teenage girls in the refugee camp. This is because girls lose a lot of iron during menstruation, and pregnant women lose nutrients during the period of gestation. Limited access to highly nutritious food prevents pregnant women, children, and girls from intaking nutrients their bodies need to function appropriately. In addition to anaemia, limited access to nutrients cause other major health issues such as kwashiorkor, increasing mortality, and even psychological troubles for the parents, family members, and even the surrounding community.
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Nutri-Kakuma uses the following five strategies.
Networking: communicate with the 7 health clinics in Kakuma to identify people suffering from anaemia living in different areas of the camp.
Nutritional accompaniment: we carry out home visits to people who have been identified as having serious anaemia issues so we can discuss ways of incorporating nutritious food in their diets. During these visits, members of the households are trained and sensitized on the importance of letting pregnant women and children consume supplemental nutritious food provided by WFP and Nutri-Kakuma project proponents.
Train members of households (especially Head of Households) on the sustainable agriculture of Moringa and other crops rich in iron. After the training, participants are provided with agricultural tools to create a small kitchen garden. This training also incorporate the importance of consuming iron and ways to prevent and protect family members against anaemia.
Moringa cultivation: family vegetable gardens are created to increase the level of iron in the daily diet of those with and without anaemia. This is done by adding leaves of moringa (or in powder form) in every recipe a family cooks. Moringa does not change the flavour of the recipe much, but increases the level of iron in it. Simultaneously, a Demo Community Garden has been created to cultivate Moringa and other crops rich in iron (such as kale, spinach, and cassava leaves) which visitors can access and see how easily they grow in the semi-arid climatic conditions of Kakuma.
