Kenya Floods - CMSI Partners bring hope

Tujisaidie Self-Help Group

“Please pray for Kenya. Large parts of the country are now flooded, and the heavy rain is forecast to continue until June”, writes Tujisaidie Self-help Group Adviser Isabelle Prondzynksi. “Nairobi is impassable in many places and our community are suffering. Urgent help would therefore be very welcome, as the needs are great.”

While reports of this flooding in Kenya, as well as other countries such as Tanzania and Burundi, are on international media channels, it’s personal for us at CMS Ireland because many of the people being affected are our friends.

CMSI Partner Antony Njoroge and his team at Tumaini African Foundation (part of the Tujisaidie group) are working hard to help flood victims in the Soweto area, Nairobi. Recently he wrote, “The Tumaini Response Team are reaching out those in the local area to give hope in the midst of a disaster…Some of the stories are difficult to tell...

· A mother and her baby have been sleeping on the floor of a house that is under almost an inch of water. Both are sick and hungry.

Intervention: We plan to rent a house for the family for two months and help both of them get medication tomorrow. Today the family was supplied with a food package to last them for 3 to 4 days.

· A mother and her 6 months baby have no bed in a house that is flowing with water whenever it rains. At times she is lucky to be hosted by a family.

Intervention: Today we have managed to get her a bed and a mattress with a food package to last the family for at least five days.

Some of the families have requested us to allow them to use our Centre at this time to rescue them from the flooded homes.”

Isabelle writes, “The damage has been mostly through water getting into houses through their corrugated iron roofs and only in some places through flooding from below. Tumaini have been helping mostly elderly people, parents with young children and those who are sick. The kind of help they have been giving has been new beds and mattresses, and also food and medical aid.

As well as encouraging all our supporters to pray, CMSI has set up an emergency fund to assist Tujisaidie Self-Help Group as they give urgent help to victims. If you would like to donate please go to https://www.cmsireland.org/tujisaidie and scroll down to the donate button (either sterling or euros). Alternatively please send cheques made out to CMS Ireland, address: CMSI, Sir Thomas & Lady Dixon Park, 1st Floor, 245a Upper Malone Road, Belfast, BT17 9LA or CMSI, Church of Ireland House, Church Avenue, Rathmines, DUBLIN, DO6 CF67.