Two weeks ago we felt the urgent need to open up our tent to IDPs because of the congestion and disease outbreak in the camps that were existing. Several areas like Naivasha, Thika and Limuru had experienced fresh violence as a reaction to the events in the country, particularly the deaths of the two MPs.
The government had also announced that it would like to shut down Jamhuri Camp. When they first tried to close it, we had over 1500 people who we did not know what to do with and who had no where to go. So we came up with the plan to open up our tent. We prepared our site to host the people. They were to occupy our youth tent. We praise God for the goodwill and support with which many members of the congregation embraced the proposed initiative to open up our tents to the Internally Displaced People (IDPs). We were overwhelmed by the response that you showed. Many people brought in food supplies and others came forward to volunteer to set up and run the camp.
Redirected Efforts:
Within a few days of our making the decision to open camp at Nairobi Chapel, several bus loads of displaced people arrived from Thika and Limuru to the Jamhuri Camp. So Jamhuri Camp was not closed. Since then people have continued to arrive in busloads.
At our tents, we have remained prepared for any eventuality, that if the Jamhuri camp were to close suddenly or if there was trouble somewhere then we would allow people to stay in our tents. Our staff and volunteers continue to be engaged at Jamhuri. They are offering counselling services, helping with food distribution and preparing people to transition out of the camp.
Still our staff and volunteer teams still went out to Kirathimo, Thika, Tigoni, Nakuru and other outlying camps to meet with the people. They offered to help those who felt they were insecure in those places to move to our tents. We found out that those who were already settled in camps did not want to move from one camp to another. They feared that if they moved they might be targeted. They had other more pressing requests for us. We therefore redirected our relief efforts to the things they asked us to do:
1. To resettle them into safer residential areas in Nairobi and help them start businesses to support their families and move on with life.
2. To find Schools for their children: Many parents cried out that it didn’t matter what they went through in the camps. But they cared what happened to their children’s education. They have been asking that we take their children to school, especially those who are in Std 8 or in High schools. As of now we have settled 10 high school girls from Nakuru and Eldoret in a school in Nairobi. We are resettling another 50 Standard eight children into schools by the end of this week. We also have a waiting list—and the numbers are rising—of 150 Standard eight children that must go to school within the next two weeks if they are to make it for their standard eight exams.
3. To provide Transport to their rural homes: many wanted us to help them get secure transport to take them to their rural homes. Those who were in Thika, Tigoni or Kirathimo wanted to go to Western Kenya, and those in Nakuru and Eldoret wanted to come out to Nairobi, Central Province or Eastern to look for relatives.
A lot of work has gone into each of these initiatives. We will send you a detailed update on each of these and call for further engagement. There is also more going on simultaneously in response to the call to our leaders made that we become the salt and light in our country at this hour.
The task has only just began:
We thank God that there is calm in the country, though it is an uneasy calm. With the semblance of calm, Nairobi, indeed most of the country appears to be back to normal. However, for all those who lost loved ones, whose businesses were destroyed, for those whose homes were burnt or were kicked out in Eldoret, Molo, Burnt Forest, Nakuru, Thika, Kibera Limuru and elsewhere life is not back to normal. It cannot be, for many cannot go back to their homes until such a time as they are assured that it is safe to do so. They cannot make a living; the rains are here but they cannot plant. Their children cannot go back to schools. It will take a long time for them to rebuild their lives. The Lord continues to call on us to stand in the gap, to do whatever we can to care for them and be means of showing God’s love for them. And particularly we must assist those who are most vulnerable in this situation, the children.
Thank You for all your support and prayers for this work.
Please email us at crisisresponse@nairobichapel.org
