By Anton Beukes~
I have seen it before – refugees in South Africa, Sudan and Pakistan. People stripped of their identity and left to the mercy of foreign governments, the United Nations and NGO’s. But this was different. Not the situation of the people or their desperate needs, but the overwhelming number of people in the Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya.
I have seen it before – refugees in South Africa, Sudan and Pakistan. People stripped of their identity and left to the mercy of foreign governments, the United Nations and NGO’s. But this was different. Not the situation of the people or their desperate needs, but the overwhelming number of people in the Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya.
Kurtis and I were sent to Kenya to investigate the situation of the Somali refugees after Amanda Lindhout spoke at the worship services on August 21. Within a week after she spoke we were on our way to Kenya, with the mandate to see, experience and gather information about the current situation of the refugees, and whether CrossRoads Church should be involved in the current food security crisis, and/or in a longer involvement focused on development.
The three refugee camps in Dadaab were initially planned for a maximum of 90,000 refugees, and has currently more than 430,000 people, mostly from Somalia. At the end of July more than 1,500 were added to the camps daily, but has since then receded to just more than a 1,000 per day. Upon arriving at the camps (currently most of the refugees are bused in from the border town of Leboi about 90 km to the east), they are registered, and receive a ration of food. But no shelter. Those without relatives or friends already in the camps are left to find a place to sleep, for they only receive a place to camp after the second registration between 7-10 days after the first registration. And then they have to build their own temporary shelter for most of them only receive a tent about a month after registration.
Although the refugees have certain rights (to food, water, sanitation, medical care and education), what they receive is not adequate for most of the families. They only receive corn flour, wheat flour and cooking oil every two weeks, and most of the time a jerry-can or two of water per family per day. For those new arrivals, going to get medical care is also a challenge, having to walk for several kilometers to the medical centers near those who arrived years ago.
We saw and experienced the physical needs of the people, but more than that, were overwhelmed by the spiritual needs of the refugees. The Somali’s are more than 99% Muslim, and are resistant to the Gospel. There are a few churches in the camps, but most of them are just attended by non-Somali refugees. There was a church in Dadaab, but it was burnt down, so the believers had to move to the Police barracks for their weekly meeting; with no singing allowed. We were told that if a Somali becomes a follower of Christ, they have to disappear, or face certain death. Witnessing to the Somali’s and distributing Bibles and Christian literature is very dangerous, and could lead to torture or death. And so these people not only face the physical challenges, but also a life without hope, especially eternal hope.
The time in Nairobi and Dadaab was a great learning experience about the current state of the refugees, but more than that, God taught us a number of lessons personally. For a control freak like myself, it was hard to trust the Lord to open all the doors and allow Him to be in control. The first day in Nairobi the Lord told me to wait upon Him – and I learned that was not the easiest thing to do. But looking back I would not have had it any other way. The way He continued to give me peace when everything else seemed to fail, opening doors at the right time and performing miracles, was worth the wait.
We came back with a renewed certainty that God is in control, of our lives, our ministry, but also of the situation in East Africa. We continue to wait upon the Lord to show us what to do next, and trust in Him to guide and lead us in the right direction. My hope is that all at CrossRoads will join us in waiting upon the Lord, for His kingdom to come and His will to be done, in Red Deer, East Africa and all over the world.
