The “Kenyans for Kenya” initiative is a fundraiser that was started in July 2011 by corporate leaders and the Red Cross in response to media reports of famine and deaths from starvation in Turkana County.$10M was raised.
Described by the United Nations as ‘the worst drought in over half a century’, the drought of 2011 left more than 3.5 million Kenyans and 500,000 refugees in Northern Kenya exposed to starvation and even death. More than 385,000 children under the age of five were suffering from acute malnutrition.
The Intervention
The Safaricom Foundation led a coalition of partners in a fundraising initiative during July and August 2011. Called Kenyans for Kenya, the initiative raised over KShs 677 million in cash and close to KShs 300 million in kind to help address the famine situation in the north of the country.
The Impact
The Safaricom Foundation led a coalition of partners in a fundraising initiative during July and August 2011. Called Kenyans for Kenya, the initiative raised over KShs 677 million in cash and close to KShs 300 million in kind to help address the famine situation in the north of the country.
The biggest undertaking of its kind in Kenyan history, the month-long fundraising initiative captured the imagination of Kenyans, uniting them to help save the lives and alleviate the suffering of their fellow countrymen. The campaign raised funds using the Safaricom M-PESA paybill number 111111 and people could donate as little as KShs 10 without paying transaction costs.
References
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