Lutherans Give an Isolated Refugee Camp a New Lease on Life

     NEW YORK (ELCA) -- Life will be a little more livable for 50,000 isolated refugees in Kenya's arid north, thanks to a new grant of $625,000 to Lutheran World Relief in cooperation with Lutheran World Federation. The funding, to support financially-strapped Kakuma refugee camp in the year ahead, is from the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.
     The youngest of Kakuma's residents will receive special care. Sixty-six teachers will teach 3,600 preschool children.  Five thousand unaccompanied minors will be offered adult care and counseling, vocational skills and social activities.  Transportation of food -- more than 800 tons a month -- and other camp services are also funded by the grant.  All activities are carried out by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF).
     Kakuma began as a camp for 30,000 boys who fled southern Sudan in 1992.  Many of those early arrivals have now become men, but newer arrivals also include boys and girls similarly traumatized by war and dislocation. Kakuma's 50,000 residents today are mostly from Sudan but also from 10 other countries, including Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Congo, Rwanda and Burundi.
     LWF helped establish Kakuma and, with United Nations support, it has served as camp manager since 1992 -- in charge of food distribution, water systems, sanitation, other camp infrastructure, shelter construction and community services.  LWF staff there are drawn largely from among the refugees themselves.
     In the last five years, Lutheran World Relief (LWR) has provided $450,000 for Kakuma refugee programs, as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of clothing, school kits, health kits, soap, blankets and quilts.  LWR works overseas in relief and development on behalf of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
     The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is a Geneva-based communion of 124 church bodies, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The LWF represents 57.6 million Lutherans in 69 countries.  There are about 61 million Lutherans worldwide.

     [*Jonathan C. Frerichs, director for communication, Lutheran
     World Relief]

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Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
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