Jan. 24, 2008, Grand Rapids, Mich. - Christian Reformed Church relief workers are distributing food, water and other necessities to some 4,000 people in Kibera, one of Nairobi's largest slums and the hub of much of the unrest that has wracked Kenya's capital in recent days.
Kibera is home to about one million people, many of whom have suffered during the violence following the disputed presidential election in late December, says a report from Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) staff in the East African country.
Meanwhile, CRWRC is sending development workers back to Eldoret, a community in western Kenya that also has been the scene of violence, looting and the burning of business and homes, says Andrew Ryskamp, director of CRWRC in the United States.
CRWRC had asked staff in Eldoret to leave when the violence, including the burning of a church filled with people, broke out earlier this month. The agency will now be able to assess the needs of people who are still without shelter and other necessities in Eldoret.
"Things remain at a tense stalemate in Kenya. There is relative calm, and yet there are reports of people being killed in the slum areas of Nairobi," says Ryskamp.
Kofi Annan, the former United Nations secretary-general, was due to fly to Nairobi on Tuesday in hopes of promoting reconciliation between the two sides in Kenya's political crisis, says Ryskamp, who speaks daily with CRC staff in Kenya.
President Mwai Kibaki and challenger Raila Odinga, leader of the opposition Orange Democratic Movement, have not met since a disputed election on Dec. 27 that triggered widespread bloodshed and crippled parts of East Africa's biggest economy. Odinga says the election was rigged and has refused to concede defeat.
CRWRC, the relief and development agency of the Christian Reformed Church, has five full-time staff in Kenya. The country is also the base for the CRWRC's HIV/AIDS coordinator for the East/South African region. Partners Worldwide, a CRC business-development ministry, also has a staff person in Kenya.
Relief provided in conjunction with other faith-based organizations in Kibera has included distribution of maize, flour, beans, water, sanitary towels, and plates. The distribution went off smoothly.
"It was a miracle from God. We did not actually expect this type of calm," says the CRWRC staff report. "The beneficiaries, however, had to leave in groups for fear of losing their food to looters on the way."
Additional funds are needed in order to continue the relief efforts. To donate to the Kenya relief response, mark donations "Kenya Conflict" and mail to CRWRC at 3475 Mainway, PO Box 5070, STN LCD 1, Burlington, ON, L7R 3Y8 or 2850 Kalamazoo Avenue, Grand Rapids, MI, 49560. Donate online at www.crwrc.org.
For more information, call 1-800-730-3490 in Canada or 616-241-1691 or 1-800-55-CRWRC in the United States, or email: crwrc@crcna.org.
- Chris Meehan, CRC Communications
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Henry Hess
Director of Communication
Christian Reformed Church
To learn more about the Christian Reformed Church visit www.crcna.org <http://www.crcna.org