There are four SOS Children's Villages in Kenya.

May 4, 2010: Warmer temperatures can bring insects and the diseases they carry to regions of the world where such illnesses were once rare. The incidence of vector-borne scourges such as malaria, leishmaniasis, and dengue fever is tightly tied to global change, according to a Kenyan public health official quoted by Reuters Alertnet. Indeed, Kenya's highland areas are seeing the adverse health effects of hotter temperatures.

Anxious to respond to the growing number of malaria cases among Kenyans not previously susceptible to the disease, Kenya is one of seven countries participating in the first global project on public health adaptation to climate change.

Sponsored by the World Health Organization and United Nations Development Program, the effort seeks to bolster nations' ability to deal with health problems linked to climate change. Other countries engaged in the project are Barbados, Bhutan, China, Fiji, Jordan, and Uzbekistan.

At the same time that Kenyan families are facing vector-borne diseases that are new to them, they are suffering from swelling incidences of longstanding killers such as cholera. Caused by foul water or contaminated food, cholera is on the rise because of flooding. Water overflows can cause diarrhea, which poses the biggest threat to Kenyan children under five years old, and kills 70 children a day.

SOS Children's Villages Helping Kenya’s Children Stay Healthy

Children at home in SOS Children's Villages - Nairobi, in Kenya

Disease and natural disaster are especially hard on Kenya's children. SOS Children's Villages has been in Kenya for more than 30 years, providing love, refuge, and clean, safe living environments for children without parental care.

SOS children who can no longer grow up with their biological families are given the chance to eat three square meals a day, go to school, and develop self-confidence within a warm, supportive SOS family and community.

Kenya hosts four SOS Children's Villages -- in a suburb of Nairobi, in the coastal city of Mombasa, and in Eldoret and Meru. A host of SOS schools, clinics, vocational training centers, and family strengthening programs are open to neighborhood children and families in need of help on their way to self-sufficiency.

Educating Families About Disease Prevention

SOS believes that families armed with accurate information about how to prevent disease will be in a better position to care for their children. As part of its family strengthening program, SOS staff across Kenya counsel parents and children on ways to avoid contracting killer diseases such as malaria, diarrhea, and cholera.

Help SOS keep Kenya's children safe from disease. Sign up for SOS eNewsletters to learn more or make a donation to SOS Children's Villages today.