WFP Food Distribution
on Colm in Kenya (Kenya), 02/Jul/2009 07:47, 34 days ago
So, SCOPE had a volunteer for a month called Mike, a scottish professional photographer. He took a series of photo-documentaries on each of SCOPE's main project areas.  Below are some of his excellent photos of the work SCOPE do with the World Food Program Food Distribution in the Kilifi DistrictI will post photo's from each of Mike's photo documentaries and a little snip-it on how each project is supposed to be linked to my objectives. But really, the main thing here is to admire Mikes fantastic photos.  For more check-out www.mikebyrne.co.uk.SCOPE Project Area: Food DistributionThe World Food Program Food Distribution in Kilifi works with Index Patients (People Living With HIV/AIDS with a BMI of lower than 18.5) to provide them and their immediate family with a highly fortified Corn Soya Blend (CSB) and 50% of their food requirements (Cerels, Pulses and Oil).The program period is four months i.e. 4 distributions by which stage the index paitient will have shown an satisfactory increase in BMI thus existing the family from the program.One of the biggest problem with the program is that it only allocates food for families of up to 5. So if you have a family of 6, you only get food for 5.  In the program SCOPE run at the moment there are a significant amount of families with more than 5 including two with 16 in the Household.The distribution of food lasts one week– Monday to Friday. A steady stream of the poor peoples poor (predominantly the women with childern) arrive in silence to collect their families dinner for a month.  A parade of the hardest lives lived, each body battered over time by the harsh wild winds of poverty, battling against the cruel excesses of natures extremes.And then me.Some of the volunteers help with the distribution including yours truly. Here's a typical example of what goes on:A woman arrive carring an infant tightly wrapped around their back. Mother and child watch as this Irish guy fumbles about calculating their allowance, weighing it, cursing, adding a bit, spilling a bit, cursing and then checking it again.I can see a toddler focusing on my every move intently. He’s thinking with huge brown eyes, chubby brown cheeks and small button nose:“Paddy, that better not be my food your spilling”.I knock some maize from the bag and glare back at the child.“How’d ya like that? Look at me like again and July will be a long month for you my friend. A very long month indeed. Do you understand me?”.Power, what is there not to love about having it.The food qaunities are heavy, sometimes weighing up to 40kg. Watching these slight women and childern carry the parcels perched on their heads for the long journey home is quite something. Their bodies over time reduced to the impossible mechanics required to survive the furicious daily demands placed upon the poor.As you can imagine, it’s interesting to be involved in the distibution. A household only gets 4 months support by which stage the HIV/AIDS patient should have achevied a satisfactory BMI level to exit the programme. The challenge is to ensure that they exit the programme permenantly by helping them achieve a sustainable livelihood.  So these hardcore poor are also the target clients of the Business Development Programme. Hardcore Poor are those who cannot afford to meet their basic food requirements not to mind other basic necessities.Add a dreadful disease like AIDS on top and these my poor long suffering ladies and gentlemen of reccesion riddled Ireland are thehardcore poor of Kenya.