IMMEDIATE RELEASE - February 6, 2008
CRWRC Media Contact US, Beth DeGraff 616-648-7821 CRWRC Senior Relief Project Manager, Grace Wiebe 1-800-730-3490
CRWRC grant brings relief to Kenyans displaced by violence
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH: On the evening of December 31, 2007, a vehicle pulled into the yard of St. Luke's Cathedral in Western Kenya. Rev. James Mbawa paused in the doorway of his church to ask God for courage and protection in whatever was about to happen. As he walked out to the churchyard, 7-year-old girl ran from the truck with open arms, sobbing, "Oh, they want to kill us! Oh, they hate us!" She clung to Rev. Mbawa in terror and shock. More stunned children and adults began to unload from the vehicle in the darkness.
Unbelievably, 65 people fleeing violence after Kenya's recent election disputes spilled from the small truck in St. Luke's churchyard on New Year's Eve. The survivors told how their villages had been attacked - their families ambushed, their homes and churches burned by marauders.
James Mbawa worked to stay composed in the confusion and panic. He welcomed, sang and prayed with the traumatized group, assessing their needs as they talked together. He asked God for His compassion, provision, and hope. Mbawa realized their safety, and his own, was compromised. Their vehicle could be tracked, bringing harm on them all and St. Luke's as well. Mbawa accepted the risk and prayed for wisdom to meet the challenge.
"It is a dark and evil time in our nation," Rev. Mbawa said in a recent district letter received by the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (www.crwrc.org). "We are humbled to our knees."
In the last five weeks, the number of displaced Kenyans seeking refuge in the region around St Luke's Cathedral has swelled from 65 to more than 250 people. Despite James Mbawa's wise engagement of rival tribes in welcoming the growing number of those seeking refuge into their midst, the need for food and essential supplies quickly became critical for both villagers and fleeing families.
Mbawa's congregation is one of 10 parishes receiving emergency aid from the CRWRC and the Reformed Church of East Africa (RCEA) thanks to a $143,000 grant from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The grant is helping meet the needs at St. Luke's, and those of nearly 4,000 additional families in the Rift Valley near Kenya's border with Uganda. The provisions include three months of supplies such as blankets, mosquito nets, sanitation supplies, hygiene education, health services and medical supplies, household items, and trauma counseling.
With reports of 1,000 dead and 300,000 Kenyans internally displaced in the violence, it's clear to CRWRC's Relief staffmember Ben DeVries that "as violence subsides throughout Kenya, thousands of people will continue to require support as many of them no longer have homes to which they can return."
Since March 2007, long-time development partners CRWRC and RCEA have engaged in an unrelated food relief program for households displaced by sporadic violence. While CRWRC's development programs in conflict areas are affected by the recent election-related violence, relief projects are ongoing and adjusted for security. The March 2007 project provided maize and beans to 48,000 people in the Mount Elgon region. $25,000 of this funding has been approved for response in the recently affected Rift Valley area and provided an initial 1,100 families with emergency food supplies.
CRWRC additionally established an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in western Kenya in early January, and continues to systematically identify displaced households not currently benefitting from humanitarian aid. CRWRC Relief Coordinator Bethany Zylstra is also providing leadership to a consortium of members of the Canadian FoodGrains Bank to address needs in the eastern part of Kenya.
CRWRC continues to monitor the movement of staff in Kenya to ensure their continued safety.
Rev. Mbawa and St. Luke's Cathedral are receiving the aid they need for the next three months thanks to CRWRC and the RCEA. There are thousands more Kenyans who have been forced from their homes who need food, shelter, medical care, and safety.
Financial donations for CRWRC's Kenya relief response can be marked, "Kenya Conflict" and mailed to CRWRC, 2850 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, Mich., 49560-0600. Or donate online at www.crwrc.org. Gifts can be phoned in to 1-800-55-CRWRC or emailed to crwrc@crcna.org.
"The help," James Mbawa says, "is like bread from heaven."
Members of the press can arrange interviews with Grace Wiebe, CRWRC Senior Relief Project Manager, by calling 1-800-730-3490.
For more information about CRWRC, visit www.crwrc.org or call 1-800-55-CRWRC. CRWRC is a Christian, non-profit organization of the Christian Reformed Church in North America providing a ministry of development, relief, and justice education to people in need around the world. CRWRC is currently active in 30 countries and has an international reputation for "helping people help themselves."
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Beth DeGraff US Media and Justice Contact 2850 Kalamazoo SE Grand Rapids, MI 49560 degraffb@crcna.org ph: 616-241-1691 x4191 fax: 616-724-0806