Mothers displaced by floods across Kenya have shared accounts of infant illness, insufficient food, and decreased breastmilk supplies. One mom was forced to carry her newborn above rising waters. CG heard from Susan Onyango and Hellen Wanjohi-Opil, experts based in Nairobi, about the path forward.
"In emergency settings, there is rarely enough time to conduct full household surveys or collect detailed information, and field teams often face staffing, funding, and logistical constraints," study co-author Sonia Akter told CG. "The survey instrument overcomes these challenges."
"Without proper data, we cannot develop appropriate solutions," Vanessa Brizuela, the expert at the World Health Organization who issued the call, told CG. One aim of the effort, which emphasizes community voices and lived experiences, is to generate evidence to inform national adaptation plans.
Lize Barclay, Senior Lecturer in Futures Studies and Systems Thinking at Stellenbosch Business School in South Africa, told CG about how data center expansion in the region has the potential to further burden women and girls already disproportionately tasked with water collection.
"Until these gaps are closed, Kenya risks remaining trapped in a cycle of rebuild, recover, repeat," Susan Onyango and Hellen Wanjohi-Opil of the World Resources Institute told CG about response to devastating floods.
Dolores Huerta's recent accounts may help to highlight still-lacking protections against gender-based violence in farmworker and environmental advocacy spaces.
"The climate crisis is reinforcing gender inequality and risks setting back years of progress in girls' education and protection," Keya Khandaker of Plan International told CG. "It shouldn't be portrayed solely as an environmental issue."
