Refuge in the Desert

So my two weeks in Kakuma were amazing!  The camp is like nowhere else. They are 15 or so nationalities represented and even more ethnic groups. It was so great to go around and see all the areas where different cultures are represented.  The camp was started in 1992 so some of the same people have been there for 20 years.  Their stories are incredible. Some people can’t wait to go back to their country of origin, but some don’t even remember it and call Kenya home.  Lots are looking to be resettled to the US or Canada.  Emily and I happened to be in Kakuma over World Refugee Day which was such a cool experience.  The day was full of celebrations: dancing, singing, athletic events.  This was the first year apparently that the refugees took charge and ran the events. There were auditions and everything.  Basically every nationality got to put on at least one performance, so we got to get a taste of each culture. 

My time was spent doing a couple things. First, I was there to observe a focus group discussion training for moderators and observe some of the discussion sessions. This was very helpful in preparing for our own focus groups that Sanivation plans on conducting in Kakuma in the Fall.  It was also really fun to get to hang out with the moderators. These were all refugee youth who speak English but have very diverse backgrounds.  We spent lunch comparing cultural views on things like dowries and homosexuality.  A couple of them are being resettled and will already be in a university in Canada by the time Emily and I are back to conduct our groups. 

The second job I had while in Kakuma was just to go around and talk with people, holding sort of informal interviews with refugees about their sanitation experiences and concerns.  This was a bit harder than I would have liked.  I kept wanting to just wander through the streets of the camp and talk with people, but because of the language issue that would not have been the most productive. Plus I suppose there are securities concerns as well. So I had to find people willing to come with me and translate for me.  These were usually community health promoters who are refugees but also work for groups like IRC and NRC.  I loved getting to sit with the refugees, see their home and hear some about their lives, and yes their toilet.  It was a bit frustrating that upon seeing me, a white person and obviously aid worker, people would often just start listing all of their complaints: the roof is broken, we don’t have enough firewood, my husband is sick…The culture in a refugee camp is such that these people really are reliant on others for just about everything.  Some have some side jobs, but they hardly earn anything and there is actually a cap on how much you are allowed earn.  The system, because it is meant to be temporary actually makes it quite hard to be or become independent.  I enjoyed working with refugees (so far) more than I thought I might. It is a temporary situation, not long term governance and democracy issues that I love, but there is so much to be done. I’ve also been thinking about the word refuge.  The Bible talks about cities of refuge, mainly for people who have killed someone accidentally.  But is also talks more generally about taking care of foreigners, the oppressed and vulnerable.  Even if we make a mess of it sometimes, it’s pretty cool to step back and see how people from all over the globe will come together to help some kids from South Sudan, or women from Somalia, or a man from the Congo, who have become vulnerable. 

I got to see and experience a couple really cool things while in Kakuma.  I have been thinking a bunch about how I see or don’t see God here, and just praying I will be able to grow more and feel that God is present while I’m here.  I’ve been struggling with it, and just getting caught up in my role, things I need to accomplish, etc. So I had been praying about it and the next day I completely, randomly ran into an American missionary who is in Kakuma for a few weeks with a Kenyan friend.  We just talked about life and Kenya, and he prayed for me and encouraged me that God cares, he has compassion (looking at Mark 4). He especially prayed that I wouldn’t get bogged down by the harsh situations and needs.  I’m not usually one to think much of these little things, in fact I’m usually quite skeptical.  But I’ve been told many times, there’s no such thing as coincidence, and at I time when I was asking to see God and be encouraged, it came.  That’s pretty amazing. I think it also helped prepare me for the harsh realities I would see the next day, knowing that God does have compassion.

The next day I went out to visit families with children who have disabilities, many of them bedridden.  The reason is that we believe these families would be especially interested in having an in-home toilet, since getting to a latrine is so difficult. With the time that I have spent in developing countries, I’m sorry to say I am often accustomed or immune to poverty and hardship, but this finally did me in.  All of the families had stories, but one of them absolutely broke my heart. This mother has two sons, 8 and 9 years old, who have severe mental and physical disabilities leaving them bedridden all the time.  She also has 4 other children to care for.  The two boys were so malnourished I had to force myself not to cry or wince looking at them. I asked her about how she cares for them and about sanitation. All of the things that are problems but minor problems for other refugees, become major problems for her.  She doesn’t have enough water to be constantly cleaning them. She can’t work because she needs to be home with them…She obviously loves her family, but I could just see pain in her face. Then I asked if I could take her picture and she went off about how every NGO comes in and interviews her and wants a picture of her and her sons, but nothing ever gets done – nothing changes.  I kept having to remind her that I can’t promise that she will receive any new aid or services but that I would try my best to use the information she gave me to help her and other families in the camp.  It’s so hard to see a need like that and not be able to do anything. 

But I’ve very excited about this project. We just have to submit some materials for review and then wait.

So then last weekend, Emily and I went with some other friends to Aberdare National Park, which was sweet and has very different terrain than I’ve seen in Kenya; it is all green mountains with beautiful overlooks and waterfalls. We had hilarious car trouble as usual. Some times this meant us getting out so that it could make it up a hill and occasionally pushing.  The car adventures ended with a bus (that we had just passed) pulling over and everyone unloading to help us change a flat tire.  The actual park was great, and we got to see several elephants pretty close up. 

Now I’m back in Naivasha working with Nancy and Francis, who kept working while we were gone.  More on that later.