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Kenya

Emergency aid continues as Kenya calms

By Debbie DeVoe

ELDORET, Kenya - In early February, most Kenyans couldn't see a light at the end of the tunnel. Post-election violence continued to tear the country apart, even with the arrival and initial mediation efforts of former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. But then, little by little, the attacks began to stop, and the mediation teams started to make some headway.

On February 28, a power-sharing deal was announced that will hopefully resolve the immediate election crisis. Kenyans are still waiting, however, to hear of longer-term plans for the once-stable country to address the underlying issues that triggered such violence.

"The post-election crisis has claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people and has displaced as many as 500,000 who are now living in camps or have moved in temporarily with friends or relatives," notes Massimo Altimari, emergency coordinator for Catholic Relief Services in Kenya. "Due to this extensive displacement, Kenyans will still require humanitarian assistance for many months to come."

Little to Call Home

At an open ground in Eldoret, row after row of makeshift tents are now home for more than 20,000 people. Small triangles of white plastic sheeting fill the view in every direction. Larger rectangular tents at the back of the camp serve as temporary schools, with the site's offices now doubling as medical clinics and storage rooms for emergency food rations. Similar sites have been erected in other large towns to house displaced Kenyans.

"The situation at the moment is a bit calm, and the burning of houses and destruction has stopped. Displaced people are still in camps, though, and don't want to go back to their homes," explained Bishop Cornelius Korir of the Diocese of Eldoret. "The tension between Kalenjin and Kikuyu is still strong, but they are starting dialogue," Korir added, referring to two large ethnic groups in the Eldoret region.

Since the announcement of President Mwai Kibaki's narrow win over challenger Raila Odinga in late December, violence among many of Kenya's 40-plus ethnic groups has erupted in Nairobi and across the Rift Valley. The months leading up to the election set the stage for the attacks, with candidates often focusing on ethnic identity and perceived historical injustices in their campaigns.

After claims of election rigging arose, many innocent people became targets simply due to their ethnic background, assumed support for a given political party or even financial success. Decades-old and long-neglected conflicts over landownership added fuel to the fire. In town after town, residents who had lived peacefully together for years turned on each other, using the election crisis as an excuse to drive minority groups from their land.

Seeking Peace

Some communities are now beginning to reach out to opposing groups in hopes of finding reconciliation. Across Eldoret, for example, the bishop has been meeting with elders, youth and others to air concerns and open the door for peaceful resolution of problems.

Seeking to better understand the current situation and identify additional opportunities for assistance, in mid-February a CRS-sponsored delegation visited the Eldoret diocese. Hosted by Bishop Korir, the delegation included the Apostolic Nuncio to Kenya Archbishop Alain Paul Lebeaupin, the Secretary General of the Kenya Episcopal Conference Very Rev. Fr. Vincent Wambugu, and six CRS staff members.

"This situation is not acceptable. It's not in accordance with the Gospel," Archbishop Lebeaupin told a gathering of youths and elders working to build peace and reconciliation in surrounding communities. "I encourage you to continue (with peacebuilding). You have to be courageous, for what needs to be done is not for today but also for tomorrow."

Reconciling shattered communities won't be easy, however. Fear and distrust now run deep in many Kenyans. Memories of rapes, mutilations and brutal deaths are still raw, even for those not directly touched by the violence.

"Hundreds of Kenyans are still healing from physical wounds, thousands more remain displaced from their homes and millions continue to suffer from the emotional toll of seeing their country ripped apart at the seams," notes Peter Kimeu, CRS' regional technical advisor for partnership, global solidarity and justice. Some Kenyans no longer feel safe living in their communities and have returned to the traditional homelands of their ethnic groups, he adds. But many have never lived in their ancestral regions and have no land of their own or economic opportunities to build a new life.

The Way Forward

To help communities heal and address the needs of displaced Kenyans, CRS is working closely with affected dioceses to assess current situations and develop response plans. Tapping $2.8 million of emergency aid provided by the U.S. Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, CRS is now funding proposals from church partners and other agencies that will help more than 190,000 Kenyans get back on their feet.

Recently, CRS staff distributed blankets, mosquito nets, water cans, plastic sheeting for shelter and a large water tank to the Koru Police Station to help 700 people now living on the grounds. With OFDA funding from CRS, the Archdiocese of Kisumu will assist an additional 300 people, including families hosting displaced community members.

In Kericho, CRS provided the local diocese with funds raised from private donations to rent an ambulance, which was used to transport medical staff - funded by Caritas partner CAFOD - to sites housing displaced people in the surrounding area. The Diocese of Kericho will also use OFDA money to provide water and sanitation facilities, as well as essential supplies to 4,375 people displaced in two local parishes. Meanwhile, the Diocese of Nakuru will use OFDA funding to address the needs of 700 people currently not receiving emergency assistance.

CRS also continues its significant response activities in the Diocese of Eldoret, where initial efforts were funded by CAFOD, Trocaire (another Caritas partner) and Latter-day Saint Charities. In February, CRS staff trained volunteers to promote better hygiene on the grounds of St. Patrick's Cathedral and a nearby school in Burnt Forest where more than 5,700 people are living. Posters demonstrating good hygiene now hang on the walls of small kiosks opened on the grounds, and petty sellers of food items are even covering their dishes to increase camp hygiene.

Beyond meeting the immediate needs of displaced families, CRS is also developing plans to use the OFDA funding to promote peace and reconciliation across the country. Key activities include interfaith dialogue - with CRS working closely with the Kenya Episcopal Conference, the National Council of Churches of Kenya and the Coast Interfaith Council of Clerics - and counseling services for affected communities in five dioceses. CRS is also working with an umbrella organization called PeaceNet to ensure Kenyans have access to reliable information about security, affected locations and available social and legal services.

"We have to stop and not go back," Nuncio Lebeaupin added. "Be strong and go ahead."

Debbie DeVoe is CRS' regional information officer in East Africa based in Nairobi. She recently returned to Eldoret to visit sites housing displaced Kenyans.