British actress Emma Catherine Rigby was in the country over a week ago.
She was on a visit to Northern Kenya to see how relief funds have been used to support the millions of residents adversely affected by severe drought.
The money was raised from the Disasters Emergency Committee and the Catholic International Development Charity (CAFOD) East Africa Crisis Appeal.
Travelling with CAFOD, the ex- ‘Hollyoaks’ actress visited remote parts of northern Kenya on an emotional five-day trip.
“Through no fault of their own, the drought has caused people to lose their entire livelihoods —livestock, including cattle, goats, and camels — which they are utterly dependent on for their survival,” said Emma.
The 27-Year-Old actress met with communities that are currently living in desperate conditions and are forced to live on aid.
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Speaking to MailOnline, she described her experience of meeting with the different communities and witnessing the conditions they live in as ‘heartbreaking and devastating to see’.
“It’s really making me realise how things need to change,” Emma said.
“How we live our lives and the things that we think are significant… it’s almost like being on another planet.”
Emma, who said she was inspired by Angelina Jolie’s work with the UN, visited the Daaba community in Isiolo and saw how a mobile nutrition clinic was a lifeline to mothers and their malnourished children.
Also Read: PHOTOS – Angelina Jolie is in Kenya
She also experienced how aid workers deliver emergency aid to vulnerable families.
“What might seem a small detail to me or you, meant so much to the many women I met. They told me they felt in control, and their ‘dignity had been restored’. Three months may have passed by since this crisis hit the media headlines, but the needs are still great, the effect of this drought is not over. Cafod and its local aid workers are doing invaluable work, providing aid where it’s needed most. I’ve learned that the aid I saw being delivered is more than just aid; it truly gives people a sense of hope and restores dignity,” said Emma.
Here are some photos of her trip.
