Kenyans displaced after elections still need aid
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Theresa Wanjiku, a widowed mother of three, is one of more
than 62,000 Kenyans uprooted from their homes due to election violence
last December. She works small jobs to support her family.
A UMNS photo by Melissa
Crutchfield, UMCOR.
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A UMNS Report
By Melissa Hinnen*
Aug. 14, 2008
Theresa, a widowed mother of three, wakes up every morning in a crowded
tent at a camp for internally displaced people in Mathare, Nairobi.
She has lived in the camp since January, after her home was destroyed
during political and tribal unrest following the Kenya presidential
elections last December. More than 1,000 people were killed in the
violence.
Although the violence has subsided, more than 62,000 people remain
displaced in settlements like that in Mathare. Many more of the
displaced live with family or friends. The United Methodist Committee on
Relief is providing assistance.
"UMCOR has not forgotten them," said Melissa Crutchfield, an UMCOR
executive. "We are working in partnership with the East Africa Annual
Conference, the Methodist Church in Kenya and the U.S. Agency for
International Development to provide medical supplies, blankets, dry
food goods, school supplies and more to help communities that are most
in need across Kenya."
During the crisis, Theresa's home was burned to the ground. She now
lives in a camp constructed on the Star of Hope Academy school grounds,
just steps from where her former home stood. Her children, like many of
the people who were displaced, are staying with family members until
Theresa can find a new home.
Though she earns a small income, she is uncertain when she will have
enough money to obtain suitable housing and care for her children. She
is thankful for food, supplies and support from the Methodist Church in
Kenya.
Churches step in
Because the government has expressed it will provide assistance,
humanitarian agencies have wound down their operations and no longer
distribute food and supplies, Crutchfield reported. The government
programs are still not accessible in many areas, however.
“UMCOR has not forgotten them.”
–Melissa Crutchfield Communities of
faith have stepped in to take responsibility for their neighbors. With
the help of UMCOR, the Methodist Church in Kenya and the United
Methodist Church in Kenya are serving hundreds of thousands of
internally displaced people.
Lucy Kaindio, a coordinator for Methodist Church in Kenya, rhetorically
asked who looks after the people now that humanitarian agencies are gone
and the government is not able to respond fully. "Churches," she
answered.
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Kenya map
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Churches are coordinating large-scale distributions of goods and
supplies, in addition to working in small camps and unofficial
settlements, assisting families and communities that have the fewest
options. They are creating networks of care, providing host families,
securing donations, arranging for medical care and setting up child
care.
In addition to addressing immediate needs, United Methodists in Kenya
are continuing to support small-scale microfinance projects to help
rebuild livelihoods; HIV and AIDS awareness workshops; and scholarship
programs for orphans and other vulnerable children.
Donations to assist UMCOR’s work with the displaced in Kenya can be
given to International Disaster Response, UMCOR Advance No. 982450.
Checks can be mailed to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087. Write
the Advance number and name on the memo line of the check. Online
donations can be made at http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/umcor/donate.cfm?code=982450&id=3019041.
*Hinnen is a staff writer for the United Methodist Committee on Relief.
News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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United Methodists respond to relief needs in Kenya
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