%PDF-1.7 1 0 obj << /Type /Catalog /Outlines 2 0 R /Pages 3 0 R >> endobj 2 0 obj << /Type /Outlines /Count 0 >> endobj 3 0 obj << /Type /Pages /Kids [6 0 R 20 0 R 22 0 R ] /Count 3 /Resources << /ProcSet 4 0 R /Font << /F1 8 0 R /F2 9 0 R /F3 10 0 R /F4 11 0 R /F5 12 0 R /F6 14 0 R >> /ExtGState << /GS1 15 0 R /GS2 16 0 R /GS3 17 0 R /GS4 18 0 R >> >> /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] >> endobj 4 0 obj [/PDF /Text ] endobj 5 0 obj << /Producer (dompdf 3.1.0 + CPDF) /CreationDate (D:20250912033428+00'00') /ModDate (D:20250912033428+00'00') >> endobj 6 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Contents 7 0 R >> endobj 7 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 1268 >> stream xWM6W̱-疦ilȡ聖h]JTIʮ3ڢ}lIXŊ ||3fHX$t50V+5mZf mvD?~v/'9L'ڼg/ *Xd+yZXy/(ۥvFt^g\○"e,NYUJX:7W ?A)XVz[<~Q S ~= nN*x+T)0֏1Q,k$k$77\z'?hA’;Nćl'g@#,_W0feVGaOVɆ+NW,rzU0-D܈+-Xu+y9Q_`fEQDmg[e6O5 }q/+8$)ȭyzUVȒP),$oDK k [ǷJP+zޜ|{3;trpy`dqFnqj#7;h/E([-)K|BHc~R >_~AvAF Nb"hBJ;Rbb|J洊C3[`T%ô.>iC GmeI Ok.Z/i(xpqA*h:~t‹d FK_;FO5B(%s !x^\>[}˥[Ua,`uS|nN#7st >g,^zDX"u3;DTELʞb}ZѨiNh%̓2n ;{9[IDe+ l6" H#r7XΦȓDmzT„[PIm^";sy|r??>jsW)/jN16Ȓ,)Ӫ'8uh+sY3j{㄄Y'2+O`=མ -u0: 3b7o W_ޅ8&=ʒ#ict*YcG[+}G\'-PԽP᫦Úͬ4eY*Uz-'7| ?T|y}΍]p3 fJغL.t4]1TVZR~<" 43]~x7-Y endstream endobj 8 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F1 /BaseFont /Helvetica /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 9 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F2 /BaseFont /Times-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 10 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F3 /BaseFont /Times-Roman /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 11 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F4 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 12 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F5 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Oblique /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 13 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 14 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F6 /BaseFont /Times-Roman /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 15 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 1 >> endobj 16 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 1 >> endobj 17 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 0.3 >> endobj 18 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 0.3 >> endobj 19 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 20 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Contents 21 0 R >> endobj 21 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 2046 >> stream xXMϯcR%sIJԇsZw^ $%ةڿ ǰ}>Huzxwuגy9=ﺇOi[7"ÑzfGEOQTR8_9~|Ter?/S<_o^:6tÚJ,7e * ܨQ3JK|+v{II9KyO~Du'۶|/uƆoXiveW@9<)&$WC )@}- ~<9#%Y)T< a$=K aSZ[lXFGR\Z.jijIHҲ sZim$R cTVoe֨ГA6Jo)yU׃e:aiB܎WŻBq nDd@Fv6jTuf"I6 F`]NZ9 Tn2p /V_dA))]{D!N뎄 Lz{)ćED#BsTpd! ]Rڳ4.ɊQ^6R3b[evhcEoi0OEw Os6,*@!cli"tKQy~~"UOknSiEcCmoƥ)<,9xBb% ԡj':вAg;e{LWJ }rܥhYZjs.pyi5ݐ{&5f2 ' aRpRNΌUBV=)/Zqr^tgot̪]0Sw_T>Rs#R6 QדDw@PɠǕgSkMgKyZ,33RPh؀y0)mF/϶p1E7H+fx|{AbA;IR @ 7`E F1̐g:Tv),ibڜڹUe4BZPAc%Ķf1{ x0&7F^UESu I#ʝ9p>ũa54g}s`IEԔ>E95J \US4t|L,sq_'] BD tb/#¿y(2ңe9TrW⠐(\V:SG!;8LcFsPBBNcc.'љzqʫ_xq ע<-&-K4VnGͅN&vgSk)hgL;. $lkW۹eudjq称HZaIkB}R׋eztQ~Qsz]-S ysKmXB@`yC$W"ķ?rl0p 8<{ZC/^qaY{_ʳQՉ8z=1.i VHU>80;o endstream endobj 22 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Contents 23 0 R >> endobj 23 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 303 >> stream xmN0!kMw: lV/O}W#?auDx p* x$i"(U\OzZ1G@)忧PL|j3'Z endstream endobj xref 0 24 0000000000 65535 f 0000000009 00000 n 0000000074 00000 n 0000000120 00000 n 0000000408 00000 n 0000000437 00000 n 0000000586 00000 n 0000000689 00000 n 0000002030 00000 n 0000002137 00000 n 0000002245 00000 n 0000002355 00000 n 0000002468 00000 n 0000002584 00000 n 0000002613 00000 n 0000002723 00000 n 0000002780 00000 n 0000002837 00000 n 0000002896 00000 n 0000002955 00000 n 0000002984 00000 n 0000003089 00000 n 0000005209 00000 n 0000005314 00000 n trailer << /Size 24 /Root 1 0 R /Info 5 0 R /ID[<534f6a1dac4e92969e620d054e5b44d7><534f6a1dac4e92969e620d054e5b44d7>] >> startxref 5690 %%EOF Kenya in turmoil | Caring Magazine
Read Caring Magazine Volume 29

Vol. #29

Hope in Action

Read Issue

Latest Impact StoriesView All

Popular Topics

PopularView All

Kenya in turmoil

January 16, 2008
3 minute read
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0
Listen to this article

The Salvation Army provides safety and shelter during political upheaval.

by Karen Gleason –

A man carries a propane canister past a rioting mob.

Kenya—long considered the most stable democracy in Africa—exploded into civil unrest and tribal warfare on Dec. 27, 2007, sparked by irregularities in the national presidential election that left incumbent President Mwai Kibaki the victor over opposition leader Raila Odinga, who appeared to have won. Western officers Lt. Colonels Kenneth and Jolene Hodder, stationed in Nairobi, serve in the Kenya Territory as chief secretary and territorial leader of women’s ministries, respectively. While the government declared a media blackout, the Hodders sent news of the tragic situation and of The Salvation Army’s efforts to keep people safe.

With normal operations at THQ suspended, Hodder explained: “Salvation Army officers living in the slum areas of Nairobi are being housed at a safe Salvation Army compound in the city and security at all Army facilities has been increased. We are in close contact with our divisional offices in Eldoret, Kisumu, and Kakamega, where hundreds of refugees are being sheltered and fed. Unfortunately, it is not physically possible at this point to reach those locations.”

Hope amidst fear and chaos
In Eldoret, where a Lutheran church was set afire and many died while seeking refuge, The Salvation Army’s Eldoret corps officer sheltered over 300 people in his small building—just down the road from the burned church.

As The Salvation Army continues to provide sanctuary and food for those in danger, the post-election riots and violence have left over 500 people dead and another 250,000 displaced, with no immediate solution in sight as government and opposition remain divided on how to conduct negotiations.

In a recent newsletter, Lt. Colonel Jolene Hodder relates stories from officers in the field. One involves workers at the construction site of the new territorial headquarters and staff quarters in Kakamega; some of them live onsite. When the divisional commander, Major Shavanga, realized that they were in danger because of their tribal affiliation, he brought them into his home. Within an hour, a mob had shown up at the site looking for the men. Shavanga was no doubt instrumental in saving their lives, at no small danger to himself and his family.

Another officer, on furlough when the riots broke out, was determined to return to his people. Hodder writes: “The police had blocked most of the roads, and those roads not monitored by the police were taken over by armed gangs, which would only allow members of their own tribe to pass unharmed. The officer is from another tribe, but he put on his Army uniform and, for several hundred miles, he prayed himself through roadblock after roadblock. He arrived safely home to serve his people.”

Thousands displaced
While accurate figures are unavailable due to ongoing violence, the Kenyan Red Cross announced that up to half a million people could need vital humanitarian assistance. A Salvation Army international emergency services assessment team has traveled to neighboring Uganda, where many Kenyans are seeking safety. So far thousands have fled their homes.

Major Mike Caffull, international emergency services field operations officer, noted that The Salvation Army has a strong presence in the impacted areas and stands ready to assist those in need.

Major Eluid Nabiswa, in charge of the Army’s Eastern Division in Uganda including the Kenyan border, stated: “There are large numbers of people at…all towns along the border. At the moment the shops still have goods for purchase but the prices are already going up. There is little gasoline, which will soon have an impact on deliveries. The main needs are food, shelter and soap. Medication and clothing are also needed for some people.”

In Nairobi, in the midst of the turmoil, Lt. Colonel Jolene Hodder expressed that the Army has “few resources in Kenya to meet what we would call back home ‘emergency services’. We lack money, food and supplies.”

Donations to the Africa Disaster Fund may be made online at www.salvationarmy.org or by sending them—clearly marked for this fund—to The Salvation Army, Officer Services 12th Floor, 180 E. Ocean Blvd., 90802.

Sources include a Salvation Army emergency news report and issue #86 of the Hodders’ African Adventure newsletter.

Download this page as a PDF

You May Also Like