SJS2: "Severe drought brings starving Kenyans to church doorsteps"

SJS2- "Severe drought brings starving Kenyans to church doorsteps"

Source: Nzwili, Fredrick. "Severe drought brings starving Kenyans to church doorsteps." The Christian Century, vol. 134, no. 5, 2017, p. 16. Student Resources in Context

Author Credentials: Fredrick Nzwili is a Kenyan journalist and author. For over 15 years, he has written various articles on politics, religion, the environment, and more; writing for publications such as The Tablet, The Christian Science Monitor, The National Geographic and other Kenyan local newspapers.

Summary: In this article, Nzwili discusses the effects of the East African drought in the city of Thata, Kenya. This particular drought is largely attributed to climate change and has plagued Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopa, Tanzania, and South Sudan, putting millions of people at risk throughout its seven year duration. Because of this severe drought, families in Thata must walk long distances to various churches and charities just to get basic commodities such as corn meal or bread. The drought has become so bad that even the churches do not have enough to feed their people, and personnel have to donate their own food to the people afflicted. So far, Kenya's government has given $1.6 million to support those affected by the drought, and expect to give $2 million by March of 2017.

Analysis: Though the article is short, it brings to light many of the struggles people in East Africa are facing due to weather conditions. Also, though it is mainly about people struggling to eat in East Africa, the main point can be traced to every single country in which excessive fossil fuel use is a problem.