Human need, humanitarian effort

Dorcas Ngure is the Kenyan Red Cross's regional manager for Central Kenya. She has been called into Nairobi to help coordinate the relief efforts around the country. They are currently focusing on help for the people who have been displaced from their homes during this conflict.

I spoke with her briefly this morning, as crowds of volunteers loaded worn old trucks with food and clothing supplies for people who have been displaced in several Nairobi slums, including Kibera, Kiambu, Mathare, Limuru and Korogocho.

What are you focusing your efforts on?

We are doing assessments to establish how many people have been displaced. It is changing on a daily basis. We are also distributing food items. In some instances, we are distributing non-food items.  We are tying to get some wheelchairs and clothes to distribute. We are also dealing with groups with HIV and AIDS. We are trying to collect special supplements to distribute to them. We are also linking up with those who offer [anti-retroviral drugs], so that those on ARVs can continue with their medication.

How are you helping people with water?

Wherever we have our teams, we have sent them out with an emergency response unit for the water. There are 10,000 liter bladder tanks in Eldoret, Burnt Forest and wherever people are camping. For the food, we have done our best to distribute food. We are doing this daily to various camps.

What is your current estimate of the number of people displaced in Kenya?

Currently, we are working with 257,000. That is the official number given by the government. But we are seeing that numbers are increasing.

What potential do you think there is for people to be taken back to their homes?

What we are seeing is the government trying to relocate the displaced people to their homes of origin. But we don't know how long that will take.

We are [expecting that people will need our help for] a period lasting about six months... people were supposed to be harvesting in March, but because of the destruction of crops, people can only plant again after the short rains and they will be able to harvest again in June and July. We are looking forward to that season, when people will be able to produce their own food.

What are the greatest challenges in the work you are trying to do?

The large number of groups that are turning out. We register 500 people, then 3000 turn up when they hear there is a distribution. Trying to control that crowd is a challenge.

What kind of support are you getting from the government?

The government is giving us some food items like cereals. It is also giving us some logistic help, not transportation but security. We are working with the District Officers and the Chiefs. That is how we are able to maneuver in these areas. Our food distribution is mainly in the DOs or the Chief's offices. The government is also giving us information about how many people are dead or displaced.

What are the needs of people with HIV/AIDS who have been affected?

They are affected because they do not have their normal supplies of supplements. Maybe these are people who received them from organized groups. The other [need] is anti-retroviral drugs, since they are displaced, they can not get them from the clinics where they were [usually] supplied.

What do women and children in particular need?

In fact, these are the most affected. We need the sanitary towels for the women. We also need the drugs for the children who are getting some minor infections. For the women, we also need a kind of protection and shelter.

If people want to help you, how can they do that?

There is an on-line donation on our website. We require a lot of support. It is to be used not only in the current operation, but over the next six months. Currently, people need food.

In the next two or three months, we will need to start reconstructing the houses of these people. We will need to start reconstructing the schools, the churches that were burned down. We are looking at a larger picture.

Those who are giving us food and non-food items, we sincerely appreciate but we also want people to come out and help us in the long term.