Last Update: 26 January 2012

The famine and refugee crisis continues to deepen as the worst drought in recent memory affects the Horn of Africa region. Our team in Kenya, led by Dotun and Ami Modupe, works among these refugees and partners with other organizations there, but they also live in the midst of the region affected by this crisis. The team is asking for special donations that will enable them to provide clothes, shoes and food supplies to the refugee camps via our network of partners.

The current situation

For a significant update from our team on the ground, posted in January 2012, please read the following article.

On October 19, the Modupes asked for prayer in light of recent events related to the Dadaab Refugee Camp. Two Spanish aid workers were abducted by a group of militants from Somalia. The Kenyan government sent its military into Somalia in an effort to protect its citizens. There is a lot of fear among Kenyans and refugees there, say the Modupes. The Modupes’ team is safe and things are relatively peaceful and quiet for the time being.

On August 30, Dotun Modupe returned to his home from Turkana in northeastern Kenya where he helped to distribute food to victims of the famine. We expect to receive an update from him again soon.

On August 16, Modupe reported that “the situation remains dire, but it’s been encouraging to see the response from within and outside the country to help those suffering.” He added, “We also keep praying that the Lord will put an end the war in Somalia.”

The bigger picture

While Kenya is being affected by the drought and famine, neighboring Somalia has experienced the worst of it thus far. CNN reports, “In all, about 12 million people in the Horn of Africa region need assistance. Somalia is the worst hit.”

“The situation is growing bleaker by the day,” writes Jeffrey Gettleman of the New York Times, “with tens of thousands of Somalis already dead and more than 500,000 children on the brink of starvation.”

Exacerbating the food shortage ravaging Somalia, militant groups have been restricting aid. On July 29, al-Shabaab, a powerful militant group, fled the Somali capital, Mogadishu, where they were refusing to allow aid to reach the people. According to a CNN report, “Al-Shabaab has called the famine a ‘crusader’ invention and an excuse for occupation, and issued threats to aid agencies delivering food to afflicted areas.” The retreat followed heavy fighting from African Union troops.

Somalis have been fleeing hunger and violence in their own country by seeking relief in neighboring Kenya, where the Modupes live and work. Our team there has been ministering holistically to the needs of refugees in Kenya for over six years. Refugees have many unique needs, but in the present crisis food and clothing top the list.

The refugee camps that exist in Kenya, such as Dadaab, are overflowing, even with Kenya opening additional camps.

The New York Times reports, “As many as 380,000 people already live in the amalgam of camps that make up Dadaab (it was intended to hold 90,000), and the Kenyans worry that Somalis will continue flocking here and never go home, given the perennial turmoil in their country since the central government collapsed in 1991.”

“While Kenya is dealing with the escalating refugee crisis,” say the Modupes, “It’s also struggling to take care of its own citizens, particularly those living in the North Eastern Province and parts of North Rift, among them Turkana, Pokot, and Baringo. These are areas that have hardly seen rain this year.”

According to the Modupes, “The prices of basic commodities have ballooned so much in the last two months and even fuel prices (petrol, diesel, and kerosene) have almost doubled. For a nation where more than 55% live below the poverty line, this may also result [in an] increase in the crime rate.”

“Our Somali brothers and sisters whom we minister to are sad and heartbroken to see what’s happening to their homeland and to their people,” say the Modupes. “They are thankful to be alive and far away from the dire situation. Many would like to help, but then they themselves are mostly undocumented and jobless, should be in the camp instead of Nairobi, and are struggling to live from day to day. They all passed through the same refugee camp and so they know and understand the situation there and recognize that it’s worse now considering the number of people coming in and the scarce resources. For a country that has been in war for the last two decades, the present situation is just aggravating the already desperate plight of these people.”

What we’re doing

Our team is working alongside partners who are authorized to enter the refugee camps. Due to the issue of security and the fact that there are just too many groups trying to get in to help, the Kenyan government and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are restricting access to the camps. So, we are currently collecting clothes, shoes, and food supplies that we will be handing over to our partners to transport and distribute inside the camps.

How you can help

Please consider making a special donation to “Horn of Africa Relief” today.

More Information

Somalis flee hunger as refugees to Kenya (NY Times)
Somalis Waste Away as Insurgents Block Escape From Famine (NY Times)
The New York Times has a photo series depicting the famine (NY Times)