Leveraging Short-Term Relief for Long-Term Gains in Garbatulla, Kenya

Emergency assistance costs seven times more than preventative measures like investments in infrastructure and agriculture; in fact, it's estimated that for every dollar invested in a community's productive assets, a $9 return is earned, according to the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

It’s an understanding that has long informed ACF's mission. This trip—one of many I take every year to track the progress of our programs—was less a first-hand tour of our emergency interventions than an inside look on the ways in which our work supports longer-term development programs that could change the future for Garbatulla and perhaps, the other drought-stricken communities of the Horn.