Christian aid brings relief to displaced Kenyans

Kenya (MNN) – Kenya talks have resumed in hopes that a deal will end the unusual tailspin into unrest. The international community wants the two sides to shape a power-sharing agreement.

According to some aid agencies, the violence that greeted post-election violence has left up to 600,000 Kenyans displaced for weeks.

Christian Reformed World Relief Commitee's Jakob Kramer says the conflict that is centered over the Rift Valley part of West Kenya stems from a year-old conflict over land. The reaction to the elections and fraud accusations added fuel to the dispute as it spread on a larger scale across the country.

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, and it is still growing. "We are also helping about 15,000 families," says Kramer, noting that churches trying to shelter and provide for the basic needs of the people are being stretched thin.

CRWRC got government help to boost the aid to those seeking refuge on Reformed Church property.  

The $143,000 grant from the Canadian International Development Agency is taking a lot of the strain off. Kramer explains: "We have extended that with funds received from the Canadian government into non-food help–that is, blankets, mosquito nets, pots and pans and jerrycans for water transport." 

Kramer says because of their evangelistic testimony, people came to trust believers. That's never been more evident than now. "Early in the conflict, people went to the churches because they felt that there, in the context of Christians caring for each other, they would have the best possibility that people would rise above the tribal lines, and as such, provide safety."

CRWRC additionally established an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in western Kenya in early January and continues to systematically identify households not currently benefiting from humanitarian aid. Click here if you can help.