A new family joins our tent camp

rs. When I arrived at the hospital this morning I first had to deal with Simon. He returned drunk at the camp site yesterday night and didn't behave well. As we do not accept alcohol on in tent camp he has to leave. This is hard but we have to implement certain rules, otherwise life becomes unbearable, especially for the women. Today we also had some newcomers: a mother and

her four children joined the camp (see picture). I started to speak with them and learned that she lost her husband (a Luo) during the crash when she ran out of her burning home. She doesn't know if he is still alive. All what remained were her four children and one blanket. Inquiring how they could sleep she explained that the children parted the blanket and she managed to find some pieces of card board. Njaga took her particulars and they got a place in the camp together with mattresses and blankets.

Editorial note: The next report will be published on Monday

Swiss officials came to visit our hospital

rs. Today we had a visit from Switzerland. Stephan, the driver of the Swiss Embassy called me in the morning to get the directions to the hospital. As our direction signs had been stolen, it is not easy to find the way to the entrance. Eliane Candido (see picture left) from the Swiss Embassy in Nairobi came together with Monika Gwerder (right), inspector of the EDA (Federal Department of Foreign Affairs) in Bern. Both wanted to visit our hospital and the affiliated tent camp. Our doctor John showed them the hospital and I informed them about the tents. As we walked through the camp, Monika Gwerder asked why we invest so much energy into the camp while the Government closes camps. I explained that many people had fear to go home and needed a place to stay, at least until end of the year. In our camp we put a lot of emphasis on security. We do not want rapes to happen as it is the case in other camps in Eldoret and Nakuru. The Swiss guests were impressed by our work and wanted to tell others about it. Early afternoon they went back to Nairobi. I wanted to continue with some works but the daily rain forced me to go home.

A central laundry place should come soon

rs. Early in the morning I met this woman washing her clothes in front of her tent. It came to my mind that it is high time to organize a central laundry place. I am happy that the people in the tents become orderly more and more. The toilets are clean and also the general ground. Now we will put some big flood light to bring more security for everybody. Cooking also gets organized. The IDP's slowly start to use big pans to cook collectively which makes more sense anyway. Some ideas take a long time to be accepted but finally they see themselves what is good for them. In one point Mr. Maina Muhia is right: the women are easier to handle in the tent camp than men. But I don't fear them and also try bring them to some kind of discipline and order. Tomorrow we will have 10 more women and their children joining our camp. We already made the plan to organize it properly. Some camps are getting closed by the Government so there is a concentration to those still in function.

Yesterday I saw in a TV report how deplorable the situation still is in various parts of the country. There was a story of a young mother and her children that was escorted by the military to her original home place and all she found was one clay wall and nothing behind. She started to weep and was helped to set up a tent. She has no money and no clothes. How can she make a living? One of the many open questions here in Kenya. Tomorrow we will get a visit from Bern (Switzerand). It's always good if people come and make themselves a picture from the situation and our work.

New food delivery from Kenyan Red Cross

rs. Today I planed a full program but several unexpected things occurred. The telephone rang early in the morning to inform me about an express mail from the Meds company, problably the insulin was in it, and I had to hurry because it needs refrigeration. Then I heard that the Kenyan Red Cross was at the hospital with a food delivery and I had to get the key of the storage container and asked all available refugees to help unload the track. It was matter of time to get everything into the dry before the next rain started. It's not only that but the truck has no chance to get down the hill on a slippery road! By 5 pm everything was done. Although I had a sweater, I was freezing because the temperature went down to 16°C and it was raining extensively. I am happy to have a covered home but had to think of the many camp people who also must be cold tonight.

Discipline brings the refugee camp to flourish

rs. Today, we first discussed how we can rationalize the food distribution because after 2 pm it often starts to rain and we have to continue in the wet. So the proposition for next week is to devide the group in two on two days, Monday and Tuesday. Like this we are finished by lunch time and have the weather on our side. For today we still had the old system and luckily it stayed dry until we gave out the past portion. It is great to see that the displaced people slowly start to show some joy in their faces. The men sometimes need a little bit more discipline because the group has to work together and all duties have to be done by both genders equally. Finally, after explaining it to everybody, it worked well. The men also took part in cooking and washing dishes afterwards. The older children could start school today in Kasambara and they have been well accepted by the teachers. Our small patient with the head operation could leave the hospital today and only has to come back for periodical controls. By the end of the day, some men came to us and were looking for a volley ball. So playing, having joy and getting back to a more or less normal life are of paramount importance to bring a better atmosphere to the camp. We make our best to help them wherever we can.

Family planning and garden project

rs. On Saturday we had a family planning meeting with the IDP's. Our nurses and doctor John explained to the mothers nutrition and hygiene and together with Fundi we did our plans for the coming week. We intend to establish a garden so we can grow our own vegetables. At the same time some of the displaced people would get a littlem bit of work. We also spoke to the men that they could only stay here temporarily, they should find new jobs. There is not much progress in he economical situation of the country. The Government thinks that the poeple would feel more safe, but it is not true. Many who wanted to return home, were brutally attacked and injured. Houses are burnt and poeople in Nairobi, Eldoret, Kisumu or Nakuru are not satisfied. The wet season makes the ground unpleasant. In the night it also gets cold and can get down to 12° C. And people have no heating and no warm clothes.