Actress Kristin Davis, best known for her role as Charlotte in Sex and the City, has been visiting the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya with Oxfam, to see the devastating impact of the drought. More than 10 million people in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya are facing desperate food shortages in the worst food crisis of the 21st century.
Says Kristin: “I feel shocked to see what these people have gone through. I met women who have walked for 20 days through the desert, with children dying on the way, only to arrive at a camp where there is hardly any food and water to go around. We must not allow this to happen in this day and age. Anything that you can give will help people who have absolutely nothing.”
Each day, 1,300 people are arriving in Dadaab, fleeing the drought and war in Somalia. The world’s largest refugee complex is severely overcrowded and now shelters 380,000 people – four times its intended capacity – with many more expected over the next few months. Many refugees arrive malnourished and in desperate need of water, food and healthcare, only to find that the conditions here are almost as intolerable as those they left.
The American star was travelling in Tanzania with Oxfam as part of her long-term commitment as an Oxfam Ambassador. When she heard about the scale of the disaster in the Horn of Africa, she decided to extend her trip and visit one of the worst hit areas.
In the interview below, Kristin talks about what she saw in Dadaab, and recounts the stories of some of the people she met there. Watch the video:
In another interview with BBC News, Kristin broke down describing her trip to Dadaab, but mentioned how relieved she was that Oxfam workers were at the scene.
View Kristin’s BBC interview here
Find out more
Read about what Oxfam is doing in East Africa
Donate to Oxfam’s East Africa food crisis appeal, to help provide life-saving water, food and sanitation to over 3 million people in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia.
