Kenya and Tanzania: water and food security

22-03-2012 Feature

Clean, safe water is a treasured commodity in Africa, but for millions across the continent, access to decent water is only a dream. Working with African Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the ICRC is running water projects that bring clean and safe water to people who would otherwise go without.

Over the past year, ICRC water projects have benefited over 30,000 people in Kenya and Tanzania. Repairing boreholes, building dams and installing water storage tanks has improved the quality of life for many communities and enabled them to grow crops. Reliable sources of water for farming help communities to feed themselves. In the jargon, they “facilitate food security.”

This year's theme for World Water day is 'Water and Food Security.' To see the link between water and food security in Africa, one need look no further than the 2011 drought in the Horn of Africa.

And by giving people access to clean, safe water, the ICRC is helping reduce conflicts over water and food.

Photos

Pemba, Tanzania. ICRC water engineer Eugenio Vagni joins children in pumping water at a well constructed by the ICRC. 

Pemba, Tanzania. ICRC water engineer Eugenio Vagni joins children in pumping water at a well constructed by the ICRC.
© ICRC / A. Mucheke

Kawalash, Isiolo District, Kenya. Women fetch water from a water point constructed by the ICRC in partnership with the Kenya Red Cross Society. 

Kawalash, Isiolo District, Kenya. Women fetch water from a water point constructed by the ICRC in partnership with the Kenya Red Cross Society.
© ICRC / A. Mucheke / v-p-ke-e-00271

Pemba, Tanzania. A woman pumps water from a well constructed by the ICRC. 

Pemba, Tanzania. A woman pumps water from a well constructed by the ICRC.
© ICRC / A. Mucheke

Kawalash, Isiolo District, Kenya. A woman quenches her thirst at a water point constructed by the ICRC in partnership with the Kenya Red Cross Society. 

Kawalash, Isiolo District, Kenya. A woman quenches her thirst at a water point constructed by the ICRC in partnership with the Kenya Red Cross Society.
© ICRC / L. Mukuhi / v-p-ke-e-00272

Marsabit, Kenya. Women celebrate during commissioning of the Mt Kulalwater project. 

Marsabit, Kenya. Women celebrate during commissioning of the Mt Kulalwater project.
© ICRC / V. Njiiri / v-p-ke-e-00273