afrol News, 30 September - A US$15.60 million loan has been approved to help Kenyan communities out of the current wave of multi-phased poverty and hunger.

The loan from IFAD to the Republic of Kenya for the Southern Nyanza Community Development Project is set to reduce poverty and change the lives of 500,000 poor rural men, women and children in Southern Nyanza in Kenya.

The supplementary loan agreement for the project was signed today in Rome by Ann Belinda Nyikuli, Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya to Rome, and Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of IFAD.

The project aims at empowering rural communities by strengthening local institutions and community-driven development activities, by improving access to health care, safe water, environmental, sanitation and hygiene practices, by increasing farm labour productivity, improving food security and nutrition, and enhancing community awareness of social behaviours and their consequences.

This project concerns six priority divisions in each of the six districts of Homa Bay (Kobama), Kuria (Masaba), Migori (Karungu), Nyamira (Nyamusi), Rachuonyo (West Karachuonyo) and Suba (Central).

These are among the poorest areas in Southern Nyanze, alongside Lake Victoria, which has untapped agricultural potential.

Communities in these districts are often very poor, with strong socio-cultural traditions and norms, weak institutions and an incidence of HIV/AIDS above the national average, IFAD said in a statement today.

To date, IFAD has funded 14 projects in Kenya for a total investment of about $184.6 million. The ongoing projects include; the Central Kenya Dry Lands Programme (CKDAP), Mount Kenya East Pilot Project for Natural Resources Management (MKEPP), South Nyanza Community Development Project (SNCDP), Smallholder Dairy Commercialization Programme (SDCP) and Smallholder Horticulture and Marketing Programme (SHOMAP).

By staff writer

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