Severe drought brings starving Kenyans to church doorsteps

When her pantry is empty, Agnes Mwikali walks down a dusty road to the local Roman Catholic Church mission. There, beyond the metal gate and the church garden where the crops are withering, she steps into the administration building and asks for a four-pound bag of cornmeal.

In Thatha, her home about 93 miles northeast of Nairobi, a severe drought has left many families without food, water, or pasture for their livestock. Mwikali, a 40-year-old mother, has watched as extreme temperatures have destroyed crops, drained water sources, and laid grazing fields to waste.

“We are trying everything,” she said. “There are many of us. Many families don’t have enough food.”