Dateline ACT

Kenya 0806

Churches in Kenya a source of hope during crisis

By Evans McGowan, ACT International

Ukambani district, Kenya, July 21, 2006--Mr. Kisu, an elder in the Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church (KELC), beams as he calls out another name. He is not the only one smiling. A woman rises, presenting her identification before stepping over to the stacks of flour packets. Three women, chosen by the community to distribute the relief food, hand the woman her family’s share.

This week, villages across Ukambani district outside Machackos, Kenya, including 800 families on this day, will each receive 24 kilograms of corn flour distributed by KELC, a local partner of Church World Service, which in turn is a member of the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International. Responding to drought-induced food shortages in parts of Kenya, KELC has been assisting the most vulnerable people, including orphans, widows, the elderly and poor, to ensure the people most at risk receive food until the rains return.

Rev. Immanuel Chambi and two church committee members observe the food distribution from a distance. The KELC has a strong presence in the district through its members and congregations, although there are few clergy. Pastor Chambi oversees 12 KELC congregations. Even though 250 people attend worship at his main church each week, it is lucky to collect US$15 in weekly offerings.

But KELC congregations in the area, which are active in other, long-term development activities, know that they have an obligation to respond in this crisis as a church and can offer resources through its presence in the area and its members. Coupled with support from ACT members around the world, the KELC congregations are making a difference.

As the only pastor and main local contact for KELC in this region, Pastor Chambi has been coordinating the relief efforts of the church. He organized the volunteer committee within his congregation to assess the needs of various villages through visits and interviews with people and the local administration. From these assessments, the committee decided who should receive food, based on need alone and not denominational or religious affiliation.

Seeing the day’s food distribution makes Pastor Chambi’s robust arm movements more expansive as he emphasizes, “It doesn’t help to just give them something, but to teach them how to use it.”

Originally from Tanzania, Pastor Chambi preaches a self-reliance and communal gospel, in which individuals who are suffering come together to discuss their problems. As he explains, poverty is “bait” to get people thinking about real, long-term solutions. In preparing for the future, he has taught his members to build churches and store grain. By teaching them certain skills, the pastor empowers people to be self-reliant and fight poverty.

He watches as a single mother passes by, stooping under the unga (flour) she has received. A member of the Salvation Army, Sarah Nzuki has five children and walked 3 kilometers today to receive her rations. While the food is enough for only one week, she is happy and extremely grateful to have more time to spend on other activities, such as growing and selling mangoes.

Grace Mumo, a member of KELC, also passes by on her way to receive food. She and her daughter Dorcas live alone due to the community’s stigmatization of their HIV-positive status. In “a culture of secrets,” many people die alone with the disease, she says, and the community often tries to silence her when she speaks out. Grace finds support from an ecumenical group of people living with HIV and AIDS and continues to educate others about the disease.

Sarah and Grace are only two of the hundreds of people the church will touch on this day and work with to help them cope with the severe crisis.

Pastor Chambi says he is pleased with the distribution, managed in a “natural and relaxed manner with no haggling.” The pastor attributes this to participation in the distribution by members of the community itself, especially women, as well as respect for the church, accountability and specifically assisting the vulnerable. This distribution has provided a model for the church and community in working together. As this and other communities across drought-affected areas of Kenya have struggled during this crisis, Pastor Chambi and members of his congregation know that they as the church continue to be a source of present and future hope.

Evans McGowan is working at the Church World Service East Africa Regional Office as a volunteer through the Presbyterian Church (USA) Young Adult Volunteer Program. Both Church World Service and the Presbyterian Church (USA) (Presbyterian Disaster Assistance) are members of ACT International.