Food rations in Africa are halved. Thousands are surviving on one meal a day.
| Kakuma, Kenya
Martin Komol sighs as he inspects his cracked, mud-walled house that is one rain away from fully collapsing. Nothing seems to last for him and 300,000 other refugees in this remote Kakuma camp in Kenya 鈥� now, not even food rations.
Funding for the United Nations World Food Program has dropped after the Trump administration paused support in March, part of the widespread dismantling of foreign aid by the United States, once the world鈥檚 biggest donor.
That means Mr. Komol, a widowed father of five from Uganda, has been living on handouts from neighbors since his latest monthly ration ran out two weeks ago. He said he survives on one meal a day, sometimes a meal every two days.
鈥淲hen we can鈥檛 find anyone to help us, we become sick, but when we go to the hospital, they say it鈥檚 just hunger and tell us to go back home,鈥� he said. His wife is buried here. He is reluctant to return to Uganda, one of the more than 20 home countries of Kakuma鈥檚 refugees.
Food rations have been halved. Previous ration cuts led to protests in March. Monthly cash transfers, which refugees used to buy proteins and vegetables to supplement the rice, lentils, and cooking oil distributed by WFP, have also ended this month.
Each refugee now receives 3 kilograms (6 pounds) of rice per month, far below the 9 kilograms recommended by the U.N. for optimal nutrition. WFP hopes to receive the next donation of rice by August. That鈥檚 along with 1 kilogram of lentils and 500 milliliters of cooking oil per person.
鈥淐ome August, we are likely to see a more difficult scenario. If WFP doesn鈥檛 receive any funding between now and then, it means only a fraction of the refugees will be able to get assistance. It means only the most extremely vulnerable will be targeted,鈥� said Colin Buleti, WFP鈥檚 head in Kakuma. WFP is seeking help from other donors.
In March, the the Monitor鈥檚 View foreshadowed the impact of the foreign aid cuts:
These cuts by wealthier countries, predict many aid experts, are having dramatic consequences for the world鈥檚 most vulnerable people. At the same time, others see the crisis as a moment for people in aid-recipient nations to reinvent how they can help each other.
As dust swirls along paths between the camp鈥檚 makeshift houses, the youngest children run and play, largely unaware of their parents鈥� fears.
But they can鈥檛 escape hunger. Mr. Komol鈥檚 10-year-old daughter immerses herself in schoolbooks when there鈥檚 nothing to eat.
鈥淲hen she was younger she used to cry, but now she tries to ask for food from the neighbors, and when she can鈥檛 get any she just sleeps hungry,鈥� Mr. Komol said. In recent weeks, they have drunk water to try to feel full.
The shrinking rations have led to rising cases of malnutrition among children under 5 and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.
At Kakuma鈥檚 largest hospital, run by the International Rescue Committee, children with malnutrition are given fortified formula milk.
Nutrition officer Sammy Nyang鈥檃 said some children are brought in too late and die within the first few hours of admission. The 30-bed stabilization ward admitted 58 children in March, 146 in April, and 106 in May. Fifteen children died in April, up from the monthly average of five. He worries they will see more this month.
鈥淣ow with the cash transfers gone, we expect more women and children to be unable to afford a balanced diet,鈥� Mr. Nyang鈥檃 said.
The hospital had been providing nutrient-dense porridge for children and mothers, but the flour has run out after stocks, mostly from the U.S., were depleted in March. A fortified peanut paste given to children who have been discharged is also running out, with current supplies available until August.
In the ward of whimpering children, Susan Martine from South Sudan cares for her 2-year-old daughter, who has been diagnosed with severe malnutrition.
The mother of three said her family often sleeps hungry, but her older children still receive hot lunches from a WFP school feeding program. For some children in the camp, it鈥檚 their only meal. The program also faces pressure from the aid cuts.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how we will survive with the little food we have received this month,鈥� Ms. Martine said.
The funding cuts are felt beyond Kakuma鈥檚 refugee community. Businessman Chol Jook recorded monthly sales of 700,000 Kenyan shillings ($5,400) from the WFP cash transfer program and now faces losses.
Those who are hungry could slip into debt as they buy on credit, he said.
This story was reported by The Associated Press.
