ADRA expands aid displaced families in Kenya
Silver Spring, Maryland [January 17, 2008]--The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is continuing its response to the civil unrest in Kenya, providing emergency food and non-food items for an estimated 15,000 Kenyans after violence stemming from the country's recent controversial presidential elections forced hundreds of thousands from their homes.
ADRA’s office in Kenya is working with the Catholic Church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Ke nya Red Cross and other local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and community based organizations (CBOs) in communities within the provinces of Nairobi, Rift Valley, and Nyanza, to help displaced persons return home, while providing additional assistance, including food, water and sanitation, clothing, blankets, medical supplies, and post-trauma counseling.
ADRA Kenya will provide food and non-food items to affected families seeking shelter within and outside of camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), including rations of maize grain, beans, corn-soya blend, vegetable oil, and salt. Children under five and the elderly will receive nutritional food supplements. Clothing, blankets, mosquito nets (especially for pregnant women), bars of soap, sanitary napkins, water purification supplies, and kitchen sets, will be distributed according to a needs assessment and mapping conducted in cooperation with the United Nations, the Government of Kenya, and partner NGOs.
In partnership with the University of Eastern Africa, Baraton and the Kendu Adventist Hospital, ADRA is providing pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, and treatment for those  affected by the violence in the Kisumu-Kisii, Eldoret-Kapsabet-Kitale, and Eldoret-Burnt Forest-Nakaru areas. In addition, post-trauma counseling will be provided in various camps and impoverished neighborhoods.
The Kenyan government estimates that more than 600 people have been killed and more than 500,000 people in the targeted areas—many of whom are women and children—have been displaced or otherwise affected by the continuing violence. All beneficiaries of ADRA’s assistance have lost property and/or family members. Thousands are being sheltered in IDP camps or are waiting to be transferred to a new location, while others who live in the poorer areas of their cities have little or no access to food.
Over the past weeks, ADRA has coordinated relief efforts with the Kenya Red Cross and local partners, such as Food for the Hungry International, World Relief, and Catholic Relief Services, to distribute supplies of food to those affected by Kenya’s civil unrest. ADRA distributed more than 50 metric tons of food, along with stoves, charcoal, and cooking sets to violence-affected communities, including the impoverished Nairobi neighborhoods of Jamhuri Park and Kibera. ADRA transported an additional 150 metric tons of food and supplies to other affected communities, including Karura, Kariobangi, and Dandora.
ADRA Kenya’s expanded emergency response, which began January 14, is coordinated by ADRA International and funded in partnership with the ADRA supporting offices in Finland, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada; the ADRA Africa Regional Office; and the regional Seventh-day Adventist Church office.
ADRA is present in 125 countries, providing community development and emergency management without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, or ethnicity.
Additional information about ADRA can be found at http://www.adra.org/
By courtesy of ADRA |
