Vistiting 10,000 refugees in Nakuru

sh. Today we visited the refugee camp in Nakuru, where 8,000 to 13,000 people are stationed. We learned about their sorrows and their lack of perspectives for the future. They have always the same question in their minds: where should they go, because there seem to be no possibilities of returning home. At the same time they are happy that some white people take care of them. Some refugees not only let us watch the situation but also had a long conversation with us, in which they explained their situation. We promised them to come back and we definitely learned that things are not going well but we do not know who is responsable.

Fearful refugees, empty streets and no tourists

sh. The news in the media does barely reflect the situation here. We just discussed the situation today with Mr. Joseph Muya, a good friend of of the Rhein-Valley Hospital, here in Nakuru. In the last few days he donated corn, rice and cabbage for distribution to the refugees. Mr. Muya said, we want peace and we want the return of the tourists. Normally 300 hotel guests frequent the Lake Nakuru Lodge, today it's empty. We saw only one tourist bus in the whole park area, it's unbelievable. The people who find shelter in the football stadium, are traumatized. They want to escape because they fear the immediate future. Many don't know what tomorrow will bring. The few existing trucks are filled to the brim and the people are fighting to get their little belongings on board.

Uncertain future for many Kenyans

st. Today we had an emergency meeting discussing the situation with our bookkeeper Niaga. We established new lists with all the new refugees and planned the food rations to be given on Friday. A major road in Nakuru, where normally thousands of people and cars dominate, a dangerous silence is reigning and we all don't know what the future will bring. We saw refugees in various vehicles carrying their small portion of possessions. For all the same questions: where to go...

2700 refugees get food at 50° Celcius Heat

sh. The last night was scary. Peace is still a far cry. Today more than 2700 refugees got food from the Rhein-Valley Hospital in Nakuru. We measured a temperature of 50° C in the sun! It was an exhausting day. We could witness how hard Ruth Schäfer, the director of the hospital must have worked for the past 6 weeks and how perfect the organisation is. The pictures below show injured children - there is still a lot to do.