Violence in Kenya

[melissabb]

I am looking for some real (not media) info on what is going on in Kenya right now.

I have a foster child there. She lives in the Rift Valley area. I am worried about her. I called the World Vision offices and they said they have closed down in Nairobi right now and are only offering "necessary" aide.

Can anyone give me some info or insight?????

[melissabb]

Is there NO ONE here who can offer me some insight??????

I read in the Saturday paper that the Rift Valley has been hardest hit with the violence and terrible things are happening to little girls and young women.

Please, please, someone must know something other than what is fed to us by the media here in North America.

I am worried about our sponsored child.

[calpurnia]

This is a very quiet forum I'm afraid. I'm not sure that there ARE any members here from Kenya.

I know you don't want media information but I wanted to give you The Mail & Guardian (http://www.mg.co.za/), it's a S African paper that's very good on African news, perhaps that can help you.

:hug

[LittleRockstar]

I am seeking the same information. My best friend lives in Nairobi and I have friends with ties to Rift Valley Academy. I have emails out right now. I'll post here if I hear anything.

[melissabb]

I am seeking the same information. My best friend lives in Nairobi and I have friends with ties to Rift Valley Academy. I have emails out right now. I'll post here if I hear anything.

Thank you so much. I will watch this thread to see if you have any info to post. I am terribly worried about this girl and her family. I feel so helpless and it is so hard to get information.

[LittleRockstar]

Thank you so much. I will watch this thread to see if you have any info to post. I am terribly worried about this girl and her family. I feel so helpless and it is so hard to get information.

Nothing yet. Please post if you hear anything. Is your foster child at RVA?

[melissabb]

Nothing yet. Please post if you hear anything. Is your foster child at RVA?


Yes, she is in the Rift Valley. This is why I am so concerned. Everything I read about says that the worst of the violence and rioting is occurring in the Rift Valley.

So many people have been displaced and children and young women are being raped and beaten. She is only just 5 yrs old.:(

I pray that she and her family are okay. I called World Vision but all they say is that you will be notified if your child is affected. But, they also told me in the same conversation that they have closed their Nairobi office (the office that provides support to my foster child) due to the violence. They are only offering "aid support" at this time for those most affected.

I also read this morning that a key political figure was murdered over night and they expect an even further rise in the violence now. They are apparently escalating to (media words here) "ethnic cleansing" between old tribal lines now. And, given the history of this type of situation in Africa I am even more worried.

[LittleRockstar]

I haven't heard anything. My friend and I usually email once a week or so. She's addicted to facebook and she hasn't been on at all. Still waiting and worrying...

[melissabb]

:1praying::hug

[melissabb]

Nothing yet. Please post if you hear anything.

LittleRockstar:

I went through some of the old posts here in this forum and PM'd a momma who had said she lived in Kenya. She was kind enough to PM me back with an email address.

She has friends in the Rift Valley and is going to email them with my info and areas concerned to see what is going on in the RV. When I hear from her friend I will let you know what she says.

Incredible really. Here we are just a group of mommas living in our own worlds but a momma from across the globe is lending a hand to help out with information for another. And, in turn two mommas are worrying about children and friends from just as far away. Makes me heart swell with glory at the compassion we are all capable of. If only we could offer some of that compassion and humanity to those at the head of this conflict.

There really is no crisis without a blessing.

[Kimono]

I have a sponsored boy through Compassion International--he lives north of Mombasa. I don't think his area has seen much violence, but I still worry. So I can totally understand your concern and I hope World Vision keeps tabs on your sponsored child and lets you know when they hear something. I think it is more likely that she would be a refugee than that she would have been physically harmed, but I hope neither is true.

[LittleRockstar]

This is the email I got this morning from a friend in Nairobi.

Things here are REALLY bad. We haven't had this much violence since
our independence. It all started in December when we had a general
election. It started well and everybody voted peacefully. Then our
electoral commission took 3 days to bring results from the incumbent
president's home province. People started getting mad because they knew
rigging was going on. Then when they announced that he was re-elected all
hell broke loose. People from minority tribes started attacking people
from the president's tribe because they thought that it was on big
tribal conspiracy. They presidents tribe members are being evicted
forcefully from the Rift Valley by a minority tribe supporting the opposition.
This is the news you are now seeing about the violence and
displacement there. What you are probably not hearing is that the "president" has refused to step down even though it is obvious that he rigged himself in. All international observers of the election agree. So the more he hangs on to power the more the violence goes on. It is scary because I think that it has gone past the point of no return either way.

The secretary general of the UN is here (Ban Ki Moon), Also the former
secretary general (Kofi Annan),k who is leading mediation efforts
between the two political parties. We are praying by some miracle they will
come to a solution and the people will agree and things can return to
calm.

Where I am the violence has abated and people are going back to work.
Tribalism was not really an issue in the city and although there is
tension in the slum areas things are cooling down.

I wrote her back to ask specifically about the Rift Valley Academy area. I'll let you know what she says about that.