Flood 2023

On Sunday April 23rd 2023, the River Mayenya burst its banks due to a prolonged period of rainfall, causing extensive flooding in the East Kolwa area of Mayenya Community. The flood impacted over 2000 community members and forced the evacuation of many residents. Several areas, including the Health Center, Future Hub and Craft Center, the Permaculture Farm, and Safe Park have been flooded, causing significant damage. The recovery efforts are ongoing, and the community needs your help to rebuild their lives.

Health-related issues

A significant recovery effort by Make Me Smile Kenya has been underway in response to the flooding in the Mayenya Community. The main focus has been on emergency and safety issues, including preventing a cholera outbreak, and providing safe drinking water, and basic hygiene needs. All project activities were put on hold to support the community, particularly addressing health concerns related to the flooding.

Recovery Efforts

The recovery effort also includes the provision of alternative accommodation for affected households and the resumption of project activities as soon as possible. However, it is expected that the effects of the flood will continue to be felt for many days to come. Full recovery is not possible until well into next week, and ongoing support from the community will be crucial to ensuring that all affected individuals and families are able to fully recover from the disaster.
Our facilities, including the Health Center, Future Hub and Craft Centre, Permaculture Farm and Safe Park, were also flooded, which caused significant damage.
By far worse affected, however, are all the vulnerable families whose traditional clay huts were completely destroyed.
Therefore, our priority is to provide emergency relief packages for those affected to ensure immediate assistance as well as long-term support to overcome the crisis.

Emergency Relief Packages

Our team has reviewed the most urgent needs of the affected households and summarized how you can help so that your donation has the greatest possible impact:
      • € 7 “Hygiene and Clean Drinking Water Package”
      • € 10 “Tree Planting  Package” (5 fruit trees & 5 shade trees)
      • € 10 “Mosquito Net & Blanket Package”
      • € 15 “Climate Change Package”
      • € 29 “Food Package”
      • € 48 “Emergency Shelter Package”
      • € 250 “Reconstruction of a whole house”
The packages include the “Hygiene and Clean Drinking Water Package” which contains essential items such as soap, water purification tablets and hygiene items during 2 months to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases.
On the other hand, the “Tree Planting Package” focuses on the long-term solution of reforestation by providing five fruit trees and five shade trees to the affected areas. This package will help prevent soil erosion and provide a source of food for families in need.
The “Mosquito Net & Blanket Package” is provided as long-term support for vulnerable households and is designed to protect people from mosquito-borne diseases, such as malaria, and provide warmth on cold nights.
The “Climate Change Package” combats the causes of natural disasters through education about climate change and its impacts. This package includes materials on sustainable practices and reducing carbon emissions, as well as the planting of 10 trees.
The “Food Package” can provide essential food such as rice, beans and cooking oil for vulnerable households for 3 months.
The “Emergency Shelter Package” provides mosquito nets, mattresses, blankets, and cash transfers to families who have lost their homes to cover the cost of emergency shelter and other basics that a family needs in such a crisis. The package also includes feminine hygiene items.
Since many homes have been completely destroyed, Make Me Smile also offers the “Reconstruction of a whole house” so that affected families can move out of their emergency shelter and back into their homes as quickly as possible.
These emergency flood relief packages provide crucial support to those in need and can significantly improve their lives in times of crisis.

Your support!

We are committed to providing relief to those affected by the floods in Kisumu. But we can’t do it alone – we need your help.
Every donation, no matter how small or big,  will go directly to providing vital relief supplies and support to families in need. Your donation will help us provide emergency shelter, clean water, food, medical care, and other essential supplies to those affected by the floods.
So we are calling on you today to help us make a difference in the lives of these families. Please consider making a donation to Make Me Smile today.
Thank you for your support
*All donations listed are examples, and our team assesses the most critical needs to ensure that your contribution has the most significant impact possible.