Kenya Crisis Feb 23, 2008
Greetings from Kenya!
We have been enjoying a calm for the past week and half
in Kenya and we are so thankful! Most Kenyans have hope of a
peaceful resolution and credit it to International Community
(especially US and England) who have put pressure on Kenya’s
Leaders to come to an agreeable concession and end the
negotiations peacefully. Condaleezza Rice was here on Monday
and encouraged the leaders to a power sharing compromise.
I have talked to Charles Obes, our lodge Manager, about
increasing our security here at HEART. It will cost about
$2,500 to do all he recommended … so just praying about what
to do … we have been very secure … in our neighborhood … but
if a call like this goes out to the nation … security will
be an issue for everyone.
We had distributed the $7,000 that had come in through
our Kenya Crisis fund last weekend. All the WEEP ladies are
now relocated and back to work having established new homes
to live in. Your HEART funds were also distributed in
Mathare slums by the Community Transformers and Pastor
Elisha of Eljoy school and the Peanut Butter project (all
these ladies’ homes were burned down) and Pastor Peter
through counseling and psycho –social support of his
counselors. The children are greatly affected as they have
witnessed unbelievable violence. Each one came and shared
with me after their dispensed the funds and told horrific
stories.
We were out of money by Monday … so prayed as a team here
at HEART for more funds … and a dear friend of mine sent a
check for $10,000! So the distribution begins again.
Bishop Abel took HEART funds ($1,347.00) to Mathare slums
yesterday to feed those living in tents … he sent me a
report tonight. Please read his e-mail below.
We have organized another distribution to Mathare slums next
week … adding food so all can get some.
Tomorrow Isaac will take 30,000 Ksh ($500) to Pastor
Jackson in Webuye which is in the Bungoma District located
on the main road to Uganda.
Isaac is going to Kitale to see his family … they moved
there from Lemuru after the violence broke out in his area.
He had lived in the same (rented) home for 11 years but
could not stay because he is Luhya not Kikuyu. He has yet to
move his furnishings … they left with very little. Isaac has
not seen his family for a month because it was not safe to
travel to this area. He said, “My wife and I will buy the
food on Sunday and take it to our people ourselves”. I was
so touched as he has not been with his family for a month
and to take one of the two days home to work … I told him so
and he answered, “It is not work to feed my brothers”
A Community leader from Kirinyaga came today … he is
Kikuyu … they have not had violence in his area but many
Kikuyus had to leave their farms and homes and flee with
nothing … His daughter lived in Western and was beaten and
raped … he just went to see her in the hospital in Naivasha.
He has 73 people living on his land with him! We were able
to give him 50,000 Ksh ($735) to help with food and
medicine.
The list goes on … we will help as long as we have funds!
I am so proud of our Kenyan staff and partners that
tirelessly work for the good of their people. The
overwhelming majority of the Kenyan people are kind, loving
and peaceful. Most of the violence is carried out by youths
that are discouraged because they have no way to go to
school- they see no future and have lost hope … so they are
easily incited to violence. They are not unlike the youth of
the US that travel in gangs.
HEART has continued It's work as much as possible. We
held a medical camp for the Kids for School project last
weekend. We are moving about and doing our work. I have some
very good project news I will have posted to our website on
Monday. Please read more project news there …
It is late here 1 AM … I have been unable to sleep … I
watched the 11 PM news and heard one of the Raila’s
spokesperson say that if they did not get the right power
sharing package by Wednesday next week they were calling for
“Mass Civil Disobedience.” It will be mass murder if that
happens. It was quite disturbing.
Thank you for your help. A dollar goes a long ways in
Kenya for food and our distribution is done directly … only
by people we trust. We don’t give money. We have our trusted
leaders and partners buy the food and distribute it
personally and bring back the receipts.
I am calling on all previous HEART Team members to please
think of creative ways to mobilize help for your Kenyan
friends. I ask shamelessly … not for myself but for Kenya
…many of you have given …for that I am thankful and that is
how we have already done so much!
Please continue to pray for mercy for Kenya.
My love and appreciation,
Vickie Winkler
HEART
President/Founder
www.africaheart.com
P.O. Box 63414 Muthaiga
Nairobi, Kenya East Africa
254-20-512-596/7 Office
254-733-369010 Cell
US Address
P.O. Box 631964
Highlands Ranch, CO 80163-1964
303-730-3779
From: Abel Oyaro
Sent: Friday, February 22, 2008 10:09 PM
To: Vickie Winkler Ken
Subject: Kenya Crisis
Dear Vickie,
Let me begin by thanking you in advance for having a big
heart to help. According to the Kenya Crisis, many of our
members and their relatives were badly affected, their
houses burnt, some of their family members killed in the
violence and those who managed to escape are now in camps
around the country.
The Mathare Camp which has been our target this time was
badly affected and they are displaced and housed in 76 small
tents with more than 12 members in each tent. The Mathare
Camp has over 450 Adults and over 200 children. Our target
was to feed 450 families but the moment the community knew
we were coming to feed the displaced, they also came in
large numbers because they are also starving. Either a
husband or a mother was killed so they are without help and
they are not working and they depend on well wishers for
them to eat. The community people who came from out were
about 300 who also needing food. We ended up subdividing the
food to also accommodate the people who gathered there and
we did not have enough food.
With the money you gave and that was ksh. 91,600
($1,347.00) we fed about 900 people. But again it was not
enough. Many went back home without food.
Several things I learned at this Camp which are found in
other Camps are that the sanitation is a problem, and water
is not clean, we are taking PUR packets next week to Mathare.
They don’t have blankets or matresses to sleep on, They
don’t have enough food and it is easier for diseases to
break out in this place if caution will not be taken.
But sincerely from the bottom of my heart and our church,
we want to appreciate HEART’S efforts to help in time of
this crisis. We also thank you for considering Kingdom
Worship Church to distribute this food to the affected
people.
We were not able to feed all of them since the crowd kept
on swelling up and the food was not enough and therefore, if
God opens another opportunity, we will be more than ready to
deliver food to them.
May the good God bless you and those who gave to the
Kenyan Crisis fund. We really appreciate this effort. I also
want to let you know that this is only one of the many Camps
of the displaced people around Kenya due to the election
crisis. I have also received a call from Nyanza of more than
ten Camps of displaced people and in each Camp they are
taking care of more than 300 people. They are also in bad
condition since they have no food and the basics for
surviving. He said that they are overwhelmed with the
challenges they are facing. He said that it is very
emotional because others grow very weak and die while they
are looking for food. He requested that we assist him feed
the people before they also die. Thank you for your promise
to help this area next week … I will mobilze the effort to
take them food from the HEART fund. While talking to him, we
got another request from western Kenya where more than 500
people are also in need. Now honestly from what I personally
have seen, people are in big need. We pray that this nation
will be peaceful nation again and that there will be
normalicy so that people can enjoy their life again.
We request for more assistance from all well-wishers that
they can assist us help in this time of Kenyan Crisis. Many
innocent people have died and their blood is crying out on
behalf of the Nation. Our prayer is that things will be ok
and Kenya will be healed.
Imagine when Kenya was ok, the common Kenyan was living
on one dollar daily and that is when they were working. Now
that they are not working, and that there’s a lot of
fighting, you can imagine how terrible the situation is. May
God help us.
Milele Shukrani (Forever Grateful!)
God Bless you
Bishop Abel Oyaro
Contact Information
Vickie Winkler
HEART
President/Founder
www.africaheart.com
P.O. Box 63414 Muthaiga
Nairobi, Kenya East Africa
254-20-512-596/7 Office
254-733-369010 Cell
US Address
P.O. Box 631964
Highlands Ranch, CO 80163-1964
303-730-3779
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