The people of Kenya need our prayers and support. The genocide and violence following the December 27 ’07 elections have disrupted every aspect of daily life, as more than 600,000 people have fled their homes to survive. Because of food shortages, more than 500,000 people are in need of food daily. Many of you have asked if we are involved in relief efforts to the people of Kenya affected by the post-election unrest and violence.
Your gifts will make a difference. Hundreds of pastors who have graduated from our training since our first class there in 1992, and thousands of their congregation members, are in need. We are sending funds to provide food. You can provide relief for refugees of this violence with your donations. As many as 500,000 people are in need of food daily. Through our network we will meet real needs and provide relief honoring the Lord by serving His people.
Click HERE to donate for Kenya relief.
Here is a report from Benson Mutisya, our Kenya National Director and East African Regional Director, on February 5 2008:
Dear Friends,
We will be delivering some $ 1600 worth of food there tomorrow morning. Tomorrow afternoon we will be working some distribution logistics with Kibera pastors whose members were affected, then distribute on Thursday. Friday will be the Tigoni camp distribution which will be done through Red Cross, who have been recognized to be the liaison organization for the camp. Pray with us that God will give us wisdom in doing this to His glory. Thank you so much for being the hand, the mouth, and the heart of Jesus Christ on behalf of these brothers and sisters in Kenya.
We thank God that the peace negotiations are progressing well between the two parties under the chairmanship of the former UN secretary general Koffi Annan. On the ugly part, the fires are still burning in some areas of the country. A number of people lost their lives and several hundreds of houses torched. A systematic flushing out of some tribes like Luos, Luhyas, Kalenjins and Kisiis, who used to work in the flower, tea, and coffee farms in the central province, is going on. Thousands are now in IDP camps like Tigoni in Limuru, Naivasha, Thika and Nairobi’s Jamuhuri Park to mention a few. On Saturday my wife and I spent several hours in one of the many camps, the Tigoni camp, where we saw more than six thousand men, women, and children in desperate need.
Benson.
Here is an excerpt of the report sent by Benson on March 2, 2008:
Dear Friends,
Thank the Lord, with the Kenyan people for how far He has brought us. In my last email I shared with you of the initiative Dr. Koffi Annan had taken to mediate the two key Kenyan leaders, Kibaki and Raila.....The displaced people are yet to be returning to their former places, or be resettled back by the government as they were promised.
There are still many in the IDP camps and in the slums, who are in desperate need for essential things of life. Before things begin to come back to normal, those affected will still need constant supply of food and other essentials. People have lost their businesses, jobs and other source of income, so what is left for them is to depend on relief. On Monday we will be giving out our last coupons and blankets to the Kibera slum dwellers, where more than 200 families will be attended to.
Yesterday I attempted to give food to many Mathare IDPs but it turned so chaotic that we had to flee, leaving the over 400 people scrambling for the food. I have exhausted the funds you have sent, and I will soon have an estimate of how many people we have benefited. Keep on praying that life may come back to normal again.
Benson
Pray for God’s missionaries and workers. Deliveries of supplies are difficult and extremely hazardous. We will be providing aid through 2 local churches, and our other distribution partners; the Kenyan Red Cross, Christian Blind Mission (who primarily serve the handicapped), and the Kaura Chapel in Kibera. Kaura Chapel has taken in 300 families, and some are our pastor training graduates, who organized the relief efforts in Kibera, and continue to coordinate further efforts. One of the churches we support there, Emmanuel Presbyterian, was burned in the unrest following the elections. We have now committed to building a vocational training school and a nursery on the church property, as soon as the church has been repaired.
Visit the links below for articles to catch you up on the situation in Kenya. Pray for International involvement and accountability. You can bookmark the BBC news site to visit for updates. Raila Odinga has called for nationwide rallies. He has accused the current government of rigging the election, and he may be right. International observers, representatives from England and the USA have indicated irregularities that warrant investigation. Political, tribal and religious tension is high. Pray for peace, reconciliation and rebuilding.
Click on these links to read Kenya BBC articles:
>> Fighting spreads in Western Kenya
>> Angry exchanges as Kenya MPs meet
>> UN warns Kenya aid need may grow
>> Kenya police used 'lethal force
Click HERE to see the BBC Kenya news page for current news.
Click HERE to see the BBC page for Africa news.
To see the CNN video on the violence in Kibera, Kenya, click HERE , click on"Video," then search "Kibera"
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