Lower thirds:

00:19 Sofia Aluwadhan / Lambaraha village resident
02:10 Edith Kimani / DW East Africa Bureau Chief
02:36 Dekow Ahmed Bunow / Lambaraha village resident
03:24 Sulleiman sanay / Kenya Red Cross 
04:48 Sofia Aluwadhan / Lambaraha village resident
05:16 Report by / Edith Kimani

Script:

Sofia Aluwadhan’s first order of business is water. 
It is blisteringly hot, and the race to find, even a drop, is relentless. 
This is life is Wajir county, one of the most heat stressed regions on earth.

+++SOT: Sofia Aluwadhan, resident Lambaraha ((Somali))+++
"We've not had any rain, and we are facing a very severe drought. It has now been almost seven months since we last saw rainfall."

What little rain that did come, was not enough. The pasture dried out and Sofia’s animals started to die. Now, the mother of seven is alone to care for her children as her husband searches for what the drought stripped away, grazing land. 

+++SOT: Sofia Aluwadhan, resident Lambaraha ((Somali))+++
"It's been ten days since they left. My husband went with the remaining animals, but he would not have gone if things were ok." 

Signs that things have not been ok are everywhere we look. Dried water pans. Holes dug into riverbeds by people searching deeper for water.   

((Run GFX))
Scientists say this region, in the Horn of Africa, is drying out faster than at any point in the last two thousand years. 
The IPC, who measure and communicate food crises, report 3.3 million people in Northern Kenya cannot reliably feed themselves -  52% more than last year. 
((GFX out))

Some of Sofia’s children are malnourished and are being supported by an NGO-funded nutrition program. With her husband gone, the few remaining animals provide milk for the family.
But Sofia cannot be sure when her husband will return, so she prioritizes getting water. With her children in tow, she begins the 20-minute walk to a nearby borehole. 
Hidden under her scarf is a 30-day old baby.

At the borehole, the clamor for water never lets up. Animals drink first. Only then are the large plastic containers filled for human use.

+++PTC: Edith Kimani, DW Correspondent Lambaraha village ((English))+++
"The last time there was any significant rainfall in this area was 2 years ago - and it flooded then. These cycles of drought into floods have left this community unable to stay resilient. Most of them are now dependent on not very sustainable sources of water."

Dekow, a resident here, tells me at least 100 families depend on this one borehole; but this water is neither free nor reliable.
 
+++SOT: Dekow Ahmed Bunow, Resident Lambaraha ((English))+++
"Are you seeing these tanks, one of them is not functioning, for the last maybe, 2-3 years is not functioning. That one also, another tank here is not functioning - it needs repairs."

Dekow wants the government to do more for his community.
But the local administrator says government is doing enough and that more help should come from outside.
This reliance on external donors becomes apparent as residents approach us repeatedly, mistaking us for NGOs, to ask if we have brought food. 

Further north Suleiman Sanay is used to these questions. He was born here, but the villagers know him as the Red Cross guy who brings food. 
Today, he has no food. International aid to the region has dropped sharply after funding cuts by major donors.

+++SOT: Sulleiman sanay, Kenya Red Cross ((English))+++
"Very few organisations are having programs that are supporting this emergency drought response. As time moves and as time goes, you will find that its going to get worse and worse with now also the climate change is not getting better, its getting worse and then the donor world is shrinking so the outlook is very grim, but the good thing is the communities are now trying to adapt."
 
Training communities on how to change is part of Suleiman’s job. Some of the suggestions he makes today include storing hay for use during the rainy season, keeping fewer healthy animals and controlling grazing patterns. It’s not always an easy sell.  

+++SOT: Sulleiman sanay, Kenya Red Cross ((English))+++
"Because of the aspect of being a predominantly Muslim area, that we leave everything to God. and the rains will come and if they come, we are better off, and if they don’t come, it's God's decision. The aspect of preparedness is a challenge most times."

The government’s answer to that challenge is the National Drought Management Authority- created for a single task, to end drought emergencies in Kenya. 
In some areas, that work has already started. We find emergency animal feed ready for distribution by the drought management authority to herders with absolutely no pasture. 

Sofia is not part of the distribution list- but at least she now has water. 

+++SOT: Sofia Aluwadhan, resident Lambaraha ((Somali))+++
"If God gives us rain tomorrow, then we'll be grateful. Because if it rains, life would get better again."

For 13-euro cents, she has bought just enough for their daily use. Without animals to sell, money is hard to come by, and Sofia doesn’t know how she will buy more tomorrow. Right now, she lets her youngest enjoy the first sips. The skies are clear. She knows no rain is coming.

END