By Phephile Motau
United States (US) First Lady Jill Biden is pleading with world leaders to help the starving people of East Africa, which is experiencing record drought.
A report by Daily Mail states that Biden visited Lositeti Village in Kajiado county in the Southern part of Kenya where she addressed the community on food insecurity. The Horn of Africa – which comprises Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia – is facing a possible famine.
It was reported that the US is providing 70 per cent of the humanitarian assistance to the region, but Biden begged other nations to step up their contributions.
“We cannot be the only ones. We have to have other countries join us in this global effort to help these people of the region. People are starving,” she is reported to have said.
The report further states that combating food insecurity was one of the primary reasons Biden made her five-day trip to Africa, where she touted American assistance as she worked to shore up relationships on a continent where China is making its influence known.
The First Lady acknowledged other world events taking up available assistance money, including the war in Ukraine, but insisted help was needed in Africa.
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“There is the war in Ukraine. There is an earthquake in Turkey. I mean there are a lot of competing interests,” she said, adding her plea for more help.
In the Horn of Africa, 23 million people need assistance, according to USAID. In Kenya, 4.4 million people face food insecurity, according to the World Food Program.
It was further reported that Biden spent about 90 minutes on the ground, visiting an outreach centre that provides medical assistance and meeting with local women to hear how the drought has impacted them.
Biden’s granddaughter Naomi accompanied the First Lady. She was greeted by a group of female singers and dancers who surrounded her as a red scarf was placed over her left shoulder.
They also gave Biden a beaded necklace to wear, which is made by the Maasai to represent their culture.
