DanChurchAid
Kenya
An orphaned generation
©
Evans McGowan-PCUSA-ACT
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| Kyikethe Wamwalua with one of her grandsons, Makueni District, Kenya, 2006 |
Source: By Evans McGowan, ACT International
A woman and nine children emerge from inside and from behind a mud house.
There are no men in this family - in general, they are a rare sight in this area.
HIV and AIDS have scoured the land with many early deaths, leaving behind children, wives, mothers and grandmothers.
- Twelve million children in sub-Saharan Africa have been orphaned by AIDS, and the number grows daily.
An old woman sits in a chair, extending a hand towards us in welcome. After introductions, Kyikethe Wamwalua thanks us for coming, saying, "It is good that you have come, so you can see the wound you are treating." She is a grandmother to Catherine Nduku and great-grandmother to the nine children.
Catherine recently benefited from a maize distribution coordinated by Church World Service (CWS), a member of the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International , and its local partner, the Africa Brotherhood Church (ABC). She received a total of 100 kilograms of maize, which should feed the family of 11 for about three weeks and help sustain them during the drought that has gripped parts of Kenya. Catherine is responsible for the nine children - four of whom are her own - and her grandmother. All the men here have succumbed to AIDS, including her brother who died two years ago. His wife left after his death.
©
Evans McGowan-PCUSA-ACT
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| Catherine Nduku and her four children, plus one adopted child, with their remaining maize, Makueni District, Kenya, 2006 |
Since Catherine is the primary caretaker of ten people, she relies heavily on Nzeli, another sister-in-law, who earns around US$30 a month working in a village store.
Neighbors have donated used uniforms so that the children can attend school. The family cooks twice a day, using any leftovers for breakfast the next day.
The ABC distribution, sponsored by CWS-ACT, was facilitated by the lead coordinator, Juliana Mulandi.
The community selected the members in extreme need, including widows, orphans, the elderly and handicapped, to receive maize. Cowpea, cassava and sweet potato seed were also distributed as alternatives to maize, both to increase nutrition and as a more durable crop.
CWS-ACT will hold another food and seed distribution through ABC next month. Catherine hopes to ration the maize as long as she can, until her cowpeas begin to sprout. She hopes with the improved crop diversity she can increase her children's nutrition and perhaps supplement the family's income. She thanks CWS-ACT and ABC for their help so far, not knowing where she would be without it.
Evans McGowan is working at the Church World Service East Africa Regional Office as a volunteer through the Presbyterian Church (USA) Young Adult Volunteer Program. Both Church World Service and the Presbyterian Church (USA) (Presbyterian Disaster Assistance) are members of ACT International.
DanChurchAid is a member of ACT International - a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies.
