wfn.org | Lutherans Give an Isolated Refugee Camp a New Lease on Life

[Brenda Williams <BRENDAW@elca.org>]

Reply-To: ElcaNews <ELCANEWS@ELCASCO.ELCA.ORG>
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

June 24, 1998

LUTHERANS GIVE AN ISOLATED REFUGEE CAMP A NEW LEASE ON LIFE
98-23-142-JF*

     NEW YORK (ELCA) -- Life will be a little more livable for 50,000
isolated refugees in Kenya's arid north, thanks to a new grant of $625,000
to Lutheran World Relief in cooperation with Lutheran World Federation.
The funding, to support financially-strapped Kakuma refugee camp in the
year ahead, is from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Population,
Refugees and Migration.
     The youngest of Kakuma's residents will receive special care.
Sixty-six teachers will teach 3,600 preschool children.  Five thousand
unaccompanied minors will be offered adult care and counseling, vocational
skills and social activities.  Transportation of food -- more than 800 tons
a month -- and other camp services are also funded by the grant.  All
activities are carried out by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).
     Kakuma began as a camp for 30,000 boys who fled southern Sudan in
1992.  Many of those early arrivals have now become men, but newer arrivals
also include boys and girls similarly traumatized by war and dislocation.
Kakuma's 50,000 residents today are mostly from Sudan but also from 10
other countries, including Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Congo, Rwanda and
Burundi.
     LWF helped establish Kakuma and, with United Nations support, it has
served as camp manager since 1992 -- in charge of food distribution, water
systems, sanitation, other camp infrastructure, shelter construction and
community services.  LWF staff there are drawn largely from among the
refugees themselves.
     In the last five years, Lutheran World Relief (LWR) has provided
$450,000 for Kakuma refugee programs, as well as hundreds of thousands of
dollars worth of clothing, school kits, health kits, soap, blankets and
quilts.  LWR works overseas in relief and development on behalf of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and The Lutheran Church-Missouri
Synod.
     The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is a Geneva-based communion of
124 church bodies, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
The LWF represents 57.6 million Lutherans in 69 countries.  There are about
61 million Lutherans worldwide.

     [*Jonathan C. Frerichs, director for communication, Lutheran
     World Relief]

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Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html