Food - Maize Crisis

Several people have asked me why the orphanage has no money food, what the kids would eat if we weren't here, etc. The first reason we have had to buy food is that the bank put a hold on the donations coming in from the UK, so no one has been able to touch the money. It was supposed to be a 6 week hold, but the money is still not available. Also, charities are providing less food than before to orphanages, so this puts the orphanage at a deficit.

The most significant reason, however, is the maize crisis in Kenya. I'm not sure how much (if at all) the U.S. media is covering the crisis, but it's the main topic in the news here every single night. People are literally starving to death throughout the country. People are eating bark, insects, etc. just to survive.

Due to a drought, there is a large shortage of maize (corn) in Kenya. There is supposed to be a supply of maize set aside for just such a crisis, but the minister of agriculture (allegedly) sold the supply to other countries for a personal profit. There have also been allegations that members of government have been selling maize at high prices in order to make a commission in Kenya. It's been a HUGE scandal that has really brought to light the extreme corruption in the Kenyan government (for me, at least). The Kenyan people I've talked to about it are outraged. Everyone is tired of the constant corruption in their government. The scandal has caused many charities to threaten to withhold money until they can be sure that the funds are being spent properly. This obviously affects many Kenyan people who unfortunately have to rely on donations to survive.

Besides the fact the people are starving, the crisis has caused food prices to skyrocket. Food is roughly DOUBLE was it was even months ago. For example, cabbage used to cost 20 ksh but now costs 50 ksh. For the many people barely scraping by in this country, the crisis has been devastating. Anyway, since food costs 2x what it used to, the money the orphanage has for food simply does not last as long as it used to.

I've attached a short article in case anyone is interested: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5huZb4e_0i0FsKmZs8pIw9_G_rQtw