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Displaced futures November 20, 2009
Voices of Hope Pew Bulletin Story
Kenya
Rebecca left her home in the village of Mushorui Kenya when an armed gang showed up at her house in the upheaval following the 2007 disputed presidential elections in Kenya. Eight months pregnant, she found refuge at the internally displaced persons camp in Molo that is now home to some 25,000 people. After more than 1,000 Kenyans were killed, the political impasse was finally broken as the president and opposition leader signed a powersharing agreement, but the nearly half a million displaced find themselves in a state of limbo in camps throughout the country. In Molo, Rebecca gave birth to her daughter, Merren. “The life for children here in the camps is very difficult because of malnutrition and disease,” says Rebecca. “My baby has already been sick with malaria, and we don’t have enough to eat, only one meal a day. Life is difficult. We are not used to this life. The uncertainty for the future is crushing. Parents feel that they have lost their dreams for their children’s future in the ashes of their former homes.”
As relief materials arrive, there is a marked improvement in the camp. A donation of 520 tents by ACT International was a welcome improvement, as families could move out of overcrowded buildings. But if the agreement between the leaders is to make a difference in the lives of children such as Merren, it will take a great deal more work and reconciliation before her future outside the walls is secure.
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Displaced futures (PDF)
