Peanut paste, saving Kenya - 10th August 2022

There's been a drought in Kenya and there isn't enough food for children. Peanut paste has become the solution.

James Jarso wants to save the children's lives.

James Jarso: "As I say it is about life saving. If children are not screened, children die as a result of malnutrition. The effect of drought, three years down the line, no rain."

Unfortunately, there's a lack of peanut paste and it's more expensive.

UNICEF blames this on Covid and the war in Ukraine. Fighting in Ukraine is causing food prices to increase. It's also more expensive to transport the ingredients for peanut paste.

Peanut paste was first made 25 years ago. It has saved many children's lives because it stops them losing too much weight. One pack contains 500 calories plus minerals and vitamins. The paste doesn't need to be cooked or refrigerated. It can be eaten straight from the pack, which is important in many situations.

It's been the worst drought in the Horn of Africa for decades. There are 1.7 million children without food. James Jarso is afraid that the lack of peanut paste might mean more children dying.

James Jarso: "If we run out of this, more deaths would be recorded very soon actually, very soon. We lost a child, I saw. We actually referred four of them to Marsabit County referral hospital. One died! We lost him. Three of them survived. So, this one is life saving. Without this, more children will die."