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CHARITY: Red Cross secretary general Abbas Gullet and Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore at a press conference on the Kenyans for Kenya drive at InterContinental Hotel yesterday.

THE Kenya Red Cross Society has assured Kenyans that the money raised during the Kenyans for Kenya initiative is being used for the intended purpose.

Secretary general Abbas Gullet said the money has enabled the society to meet the needs of the most affected areas.

“We attended to pregnant and lactating mothers, sick people, the elderly and schoolgoing children in the affected areas,” Gullet said.

He was speaking yesterday at a forum to review the progress made, a year after the close of Kenyans fund raising drive.

He said Red Cross focus is to ensure food security, enough water, proper sanitation and good health is provided to communities affected by drought.

He said these will make them resilient to drought.

Gullet said the society bought and distributed some 2,057 tonnes of Unimix to 285,729 school going children in some 2,381 schools.

He said the distribution will go on till October.

Gullet added that at least 655 tonnes of various foodstuff was distributed to communities in North and Central Turkana ,Garrisa, Wajir , Mandera, Isiolo, Marsabit and Moyale among.

The secretary general said at least 32,901 people have benefited from screening in Turkana.

He said schools were provided with water to support the school feeding programme and promote hygiene.

Gullet said a survey on nutrition conducted by the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation and UNICEF in December 2011 revealed that the Global Acute Malnutrition rates in Turkana dropped to 13.9 per cent from 37 per cent in April that year.

“These achievements were made possible through the Kenyans for Kenya initiative and the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation which supplied the ready to use Therapeutic Feeds used in severe malnutrition,” Gullet said.

He noted that, there has been an increase in the enrollment of children in schools in the affected areas.

“This has been confirmed through data obtained from the District education officers and through internal monitoring,” Gullet said.