Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Agenzia Fides) - "The Camillian Task Force (CTF), the office of the Order of Ministers of the Sick (Camillians) in charge of natural disasters and/or caused by man, sent a team to Kenya in mid-August to study on the spot the feasibility of an aid project in favor of famine victims that is affecting large areas of the Horn of Africa, forcing millions of people to become refugees". This is what Brother Luke Perletti told Fides, Secretary General of the Camillians. The team is composed of religious men and women and lay, members of the large family of St. Camillus. The Camillian men and women (Ministers of the Sick) have been present in Kenya with their health care structures for decades, while the final project which will see the CTF committed for the next six months is still being determined.
"According to information received by the members of the team - Brother Luke tells Fides - it is a calamity in which unpredictable natural events are added (the reduction of rainfall badly reflects on an essentially agricultural economy) and social (the widespread of poverty disables the majority of the population to access the products on the market). The migration of millions of people and their concentration in specific areas increase the risk of epidemics in which the rudimentary health infrastructure can not meet. Of particular urgency is the restoration of even the slightest water system: the shortage of water is the real problem, it causes the death of livestock, economic base structure of the nomadic population. The most affected by this disaster are the vulnerable groups, children and the elderly, although there are testimonies of adults with early symptoms of malnutrition. People with disabilities, for which the Minister Sisters of the Sick manage a day Center in Wajir, are the most severely marginalized and are often denied even the slightest support".
What needs to be underlined is that here the local Church operates in a predominantly Muslim context. Employees of the CTF has been asked to act with prudence and not to flaunt religious signs, as tension is palpable, although so far there have not been warning signs. "The local population is caught between their needs for subsistence and the exodus of hundreds of thousands of refugees - explains Brother Luke -. Nevertheless, there are testimonies of welcoming and solidarity. The CTF is planning to respond with a series of initiatives such as sending food to intervene promptly on emergency-famine, health-related initiatives (mobile clinics) and development (activities that generate economic resources). The local Church will be the ideal partner in particular the Diocese of Garissa", concludes the Secretary General of the Camillians. (LP/AP) (Agenzia Fides 07/09/2011)
