Skies Over the Pokot

 My friends who live in the highlands near Kericho, Kenya are once
again on a humanitarian mission and have sent me some photos to share.

The first few photos show the beautiful, blue sky with wisps of cloud.
I have been to some Pokot communities but not nearly as far north as my friends often travel.

They travel to different areas of Pokot country in Kenya every month, or every other month,  whenever they can get enough donations to to buy food-aid and petrol.  The vehicle they drive is borrowed from the church but if something happens that requires repair they must repair the car before they return it to the church.

Considering these believers from Kericho are not wealthy, they take on great responsibility to make sure they minister to those that are less fortunate. The people they minister to are called the Pokot and I've written about them before.

The northern and western areas of Kenya, where the Pokot people tend to live is very arid and the people are going hungry on a regular basis.  The evangelistic and humanitarian team are zealous in their care and concern for the Pokot.
They remind me of the scriptures which say:

"But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
Acts 6:4

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." 

 John 13: 34-35

 My friend Jonah always travels with several others volunteers from his church. They often go on a 2-3 day journey but this trip is a bit longer.

In the photos above, Jonah is standing by a granary or the storehouse where food is kept.

Right now the store houses are empty.

Can you see the camel in the shade of the tree?
Camels can survive without water for a long time in the desert heat.
Humans cannot.

The man in the photo eagerly drinks the bottled water that has been provided because the water is clean and he won't get sick from drinking it.

 Water is a luxury in many places of Kenya; especially clean and pure water which does not carry disease.

In these far flung places the people do not own cars.

If  a person wants a ride they generally hire a boda boda which is a motorcycle taxi. In a larger centre you can ride a matatu (shared van taxi).

It is not uncommon to find huge loads on a boda boda. You can also find up to 5 and 6 people riding on a boda boda in addition to the driver. Generally they are not wearing helmets.

These are interesting picture because you can see how useful a boda boda can be. In these case, they are transporting chairs.

The chairs are being delivered to the church without walls where the people are gathering to worship and to receive a blessing.   Many will have to stand as there are not enough chairs.

I love to see the looks on the faces of the children wherever my friends minister in Kenya.

These young and innocent faces express all kinds of emotions.

I often wonder what these young eyes have seen.

A bit of a dicey situation arose late Thursday night (Kenyan time).

The ministry team was summoned by the midwives to help an expectant young mom in distress.
Her water had broken and the baby was in a breech position.

My friends rushed her to clinic in the 4 x4 just in the nick of time.  The clinic is 47 kilometres away so it took awhile to get there and the situation was tense.

Can you imagine what would happen if there was no vehicle?

My guess is that in desperation, they would have tried to get the woman to hospital on a boda boda.

Fortunately my friends were there.  Otherwise I shudder to think what would have happened to the young mom and her unborn child.

Jonah and the team have now returned to the community where they will be ministering until Sunday.

The young mom was left behind at the clinic.
She will be kept under observation and given care to ensure that complications like fistula do not develop.

The missions team is giving thanks that they were able to play a practical role and a spiritual one in saving at least two lives.

As always we covet your prayers for the missions to alleviate the suffering of the Pokot people.

Joining with with Skywatch Friday

Last Update From Turkana

Once again I'm promoting the humanitarian and Christian relief effort to the Turkana people in northern Kenyan. I hope you will read (click on the highlighted words in red font below) and comment on this last installment, especially if you haven't commented already. In my part of the world our weather has turned to rain.  In Kenya, when it rains, it is considered a blessing.  As you can imagine when you have little to no water, rains truly are a blessing.

A dignified and beautiful Turkana woman.

 Missions of Hope: Last Update From Turkana: Hello friends, This is my last update about the Turkana relief effort. We had a great time in Turkana serving the people there with our l...

Missions of Hope: More Photos of the Turkana Relief Effort

Click the highlighted title to read about the continuing food relief efforts in Northern Kenya.. Don't forget to leave your comments at source post. Thank you so much! 

Missions of Hope: More Photos of the Turkana Relief Effort: Hello, Thank you so much for following our updates from here in Turkana country in northern Kenya where we are bringing much needed food ...

 Photo credit:  Jonah, Missions of Hope

Relief Effort to Northern Kenya

Friends, you know about the food crisis in the Horn of Africa.
I'm showing you what one man can do when he has the heart to help. Please read this post (by clicking on the title in red font) and, if you can, let him know you support his work by logging on and leaving a comment at his blog. Many will soon have food and water in their bellies due to these efforts. Thanks so much!

Missions of Hope: Relief Effort to Northern Kenya: Hello friends, This morning, along with other partners, Missions of Hope was able to flag off 5 lorries (large transport trucks) full of ...

Food Relief in the Horn of Africa

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I have a guest post today from my friend Jonah in Kenya. He has recently participated in food relief for those affected by famine in the Horn of Africa and specifically the Maasai who live in Kenya and the Somalians that have fled Somalia to find food. I will continue with my series on my northern Canada travels soon.

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As you might have read in the leading newspapers, there is a very bad drought in northern Kenya, in Somalia and Ethiopia.  Christians here and several organizations have decided to do something about it and I got involved too. (You can click on any of the photos to enlarge).

In the pictures you can see that we visited and took food relief to the Maasai people and the Somalians providing much needed water and other supplies. I think we have got to do something.  At least visit these people and give what we have.

Going there is not easy but we have to try to make a difference at least.

I will be travelling there again.  Maybe next week.  

Partner with us and let's help those in great need.

You can help raise awareness of the Missions of Hope by using the share buttons at the bottom of this post. You can help the Missions of Hope participate in food relief by sending donations.
Click here to be taken to the donate page. Thank you!

Crisis In the Horn of Africa

In my last post, I let my readers know about the urgent food insecurity situation in Kenya and Somalia, and in the whole of the Horn of Africa.

I was surprised that several people were unaware of the drought in this part of the world. Many people seem to be experiencing inadequate information or not getting updates on the situation there in East Africa.

Here is a map to help you find the countries of Kenya and Somalia. See eastern Kenya just under Yemen in the middle east.

The United Nations has reclassified the situation from a  "drought" to a "famine" due to the severity of the crisis. If I understand correctly, they say the world has been slow to respond to the situation in the Horn of Africa.  By upgrading the description of the situation to a "famine" they hope to illustrate for the world just how critical the situation is. 

So in light of the urgency of the crisis, I've decided to present a few facts and show you some videos.  This will help you to get a quick overview of the situation and to help if you are so inclined.  There is plenty of information on line but I know that some people are unable to go on line for various reasons. Hopefully this overview (in blue font) which I've taken from the World Food Programme website and the videos will give you a quick introduction. If you have a connection fast enough to watch the videos please do. Each of them are only 2 and a half  minutes long.

Overview

Kenya is experiencing one of the worst droughts in recent years. Northern Kenya is particularly affected and the government has declared the drought in this region a national disaster. The poor March to May 2011 long rains, coming successively after the failed October to December 2010, have greatly undermined the food security situation in the country. Up to 3.5 million people are affected by the drought and their plight has been worsened by high food prices resulting from both local and global factors. A mid-season assessment of the March to May long rains indicated a dismal performance of the rains and it is projected that up to 3.5 million people will need food assistance from August, a 1.1 million increase from the current 2.4 million. The actual number will be determined by the July long rains assessment, the results of which are expected in August.

The number of severely malnourished children admitted to hospital has increased by 78 percent this year compared to last year. Malnutrition rates among children below the age of five years have risen dramatically with reports of up to 37 percent in some northern districts -- more than double the emergency threshold of 15 percent. The most affected districts are Turkana, Moyale, Isiolo, Wajir, Mandera and Marsabit. WFP is providing supplementary food assistance to about 80,000 children and pregnant and nursing mothers. To curb the increase in the rate of malnutrition in northern Kenya, WFP is strengthening the supplementary food assistance safety net by linking it to general food distribution to ensure that the supplementary food is used to address malnutrition among those affected. In addition, WFP plans to give blanket supplementary food assistance to all children under the age of five and pregnant and lactating mothers in the six most affected districts in northern Kenya.

Dadaab refugee camp in north-eastern Kenya continues to receive large influxes of refugees mainly from Somalia with about 30,000 new arrivals in June alone. Kenya currently has about 447,000 refugees with Dadaab hosting about 368,000 and Kakuma in north-western Kenya about 79,000. Most of the refugees arriving in Dadaab have high malnutrition rates, having walked long distances with little or no food and water. WFP is providing the new arrivals with a 15-day ration of food at reception centres as they await registration after which they are included in the regular food register for refugees. WFP also provides refugees with supplementary food assistance for malnourished children, pregnant and nursing mothers, in addition to a mid-morning meal for all primary and pre-primary school children and a take home ration for girls.

School meals remain an important safety net for many communities. WFP is providing school meals for 670,500 pre-primary and primary school children in arid and semi arid areas and in the slums in Nairobi. The Government of Kenya, through the Ministry of Education is also feeding 610,000 of school children through the Home Grown School Feeding programme.

WFP is gradually scaling down short term interventions in favour of recovery activities such as food-for-assets (FFA) and Seasonal Cash for Assets (SCFA) through which WFP, in collaboration with the government, is developing appropriate skills to enable communities to improve their resilience and adaptation to climate change in addition to encouraging them to invest in their future. About 830,000 people are benefitting under these projects. In addition, WFP is providing a market for small-scale farmers under the purchase for progress (P4P) programme. WFP, working with partners, also builds the capacity of the small-scale farmers in WFP procurement modalities, warehouse management, quality assurance and record keeping.

Kenya is a low-income food-deficit country with a GDP per capita of about US$759 (2009 World Bank) and a Gross National Income (GNI) of USD 1628 (2010 UNDP). The 2010 UNDP Human Development Report ranked Kenya among the “low human development” countries of the world, placing it 128th out of 169countries.

WFP operations in Kenya support the Government's efforts in implementing all eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

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I think you can appreciate that the already critical situation in Kenya is being exacerbated by the devastating situation in Somalia.  The Kenyan people need help in addressing their own food insecurity issues and on top of that, they need help to address the overwhelming needs of the Somali refugees who are streaming into different parts of Kenya.  I am encouraged that some relief efforts will focus on activities which will hopefully minimize the need for short term interventions in future, at least as far as it is possible to do so for one can't predict natural disasters and wars which impact on food security.

 

This first video addresses the Kenyan food insecurity issues which I addressed in my post here.

This second video illustrates the plight of the Somalis who trek to the Dadaab Refugee Centre in Northern Kenya.

I have put up two buttons on my blog (see right side of my blog)  if you would like to make a donation to help alleviate the food insecurity crisis.  They will be up for a least a few days to make it easier for you to donate if you wish.

One button is for the World Food Programme.

The other button is for World Vision.

These organizations are seeking donations.  There are also other organizations seeking donations and to which you could donate if you choose. Some of these are the International Red Cross, Save the Children international and many others.  I'm sure you will know which ones exist in your respective countries.

Please don't feel that you can't help. I read on one website that even $1.00 (one dollar) will feed four kids. Every little bit helps.

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If you can't give money, each of the international aid organizations also has other ways you can help.  Please check out their websites and find out how.

In closing, I wanted to mention too that the World Food Programme has implemented an interesting way of giving which I just learned about today. It's called "wefeedback".

It's easy: You choose your favorite food, put it into the Feedback Calculator along with the estimated cost, and then calculate how many hungry children this would feed. The next step is to donate exactly that amount.

You can do that here
http://wefeedback.org/calculator

I used the calculator and found out I could have fed 32 children with the $8.00 I spent on an inexpensive dinner out at McDonald's. Now I don't eat out that often but I think I would rather spend it on feeding 32 children so I will be making that contribution very soon.

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 Pastor Jonah, of Missions of Hope also hopes to be undertaking food relief to the Pokot peoples in the Kerio Valley area  next month. 

If you would like to help him do that we would so appreciate it.  

You can click to donate here.

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