Kitui Diocese Food Crisis Support Project Kitui diocese has an estimated 1.2 million people. It covers an estimated area of 29,000 square kilometers. The diocese covers four administrative districts namely Kitui, Kyuso, Mutomo and Mwingi districts. In terms of livelihoods, Mwingi, Kyuso and Mutomo districts fall under agro-pastoral zone while Kitui is a marginal agricultural zone.  The diocese receives a bimodal rainfall pattern with short rains from November to December. The rains are generally reliable while long rains from March to May are erratic and unreliable. This trend is ever changing. Kitui has witnessed the failure of both long and short rains in successive years. 

The growing food crisis caused by the drought and low rains is evident nationally. It is estimated that about 10 million Kenyan’s are in danger of dying of hunger this year. An estimated 2.5 million people need emergency relief assistance, 1.8 million people require general food distribution and 0.7 million school children urgently require food. In January 2009, President Kibaki of Kenya declared the food crisis situation a national disaster. The President called for international emergency assistance to be provided to help people struggling with food shortages in the affected areas. 

The present drought and crop failure has led to a serious shortage of food in the area covered by the Diocese of Kitui. The situation has resulted in high prices on essential commodities such as maize, beans and cowpeas among others. Local people cannot afford stable food and have resorted to feeding on wild fruits such as baobab and tamarind. People living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA); the elderly; pregnant and lactating mothers; Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs) and children under 5 years are the most vulnerable.

The nutritional status of the people has deteriorated greatly. The most affected are women, children and the elderly.  Majority of the people have been reduced to net food buyers.  These poor households lack coping capacities due to extended drought and limited alternative sources of income.  Purchasing capacities of rural households have declined due to a 60% increase in food prices and non-food commodities and low livestock prices.  Families have resorted to sale of small stock (instead of restocking) so as to meet the food shortfall.  

The overall goal of this project is to alleviate immediate suffering, and avoid morbidity and mortality among the most vulnerable populations hardest hit by the current food crisis and drought in the four districts of Kitui, Mutomo Mwingi and Kyuso. This project will provide emergency support to avail food to the most vulnerable people within the next 6 months from April to September 2009.

The project will be implemented and monitored by Catholic Diocese of Kitui through its existing network of HIV and AIDS Home Based Care (HBC) Programme. Specifically, implementation will be carried out through the 81 HBC outreach points.  HBC project staff and livelihoods security team in collaboration with the community will implement the project. HBC teams will make follow ups on the beneficiaries up to the home level and weight monitoring. The Diocesan Relief Team (DRT) will carry out monitoring of food deliveries and also ensure that eligible people receive food and in right quantities. The Development office and Diocesan management team will provide overall administrative and financial management assistance to the project.

To achieve this aim, Kitui Diocese will carry out a activities that will help affected communities to meet their most immediate food needs. Project interventions proposed include provision of nutritional support to 5,000 people; 3,000 people living with HIV and AIDS, pregnant and lactating mothers and the elderly and 2,000 orphans and vulnerable children and children less than 5 years. It is important to note that this number only constitutes 20 % of the 25,000 vulnerable people within the diocese.  Households will have access to additional food rations in order to improve their health and enhance drug adherence among PLWHA on treatment. 

Beneficiaries of this project will include PLWHA, pregnant and lactating mothers, the elderly; and OVCs and children under five years.  They will be will be identified by the community in collaboration with the Diocese. Targeting procedures will be based on a set selection criteria
•	All PLWHA registered on the Diocesan HIV and AIDS home-based care projects that require food support 
•	Identification of the elderly, pregnant and lactating mothers in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the provincial administration requirement i.e. food by description
•	Orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) will include any child, double or single orphaned, in child headed households or living in vulnerable conditions faced by food crisis 
•	Children under 5 will be identified through the child welfare clinics where scrutiny of the growth monitoring cards will be undertaken

This project will supply communities with foods that can supply the basic energy requirements consisting cereals (maize), pulses (beans) and cooking oil.