At the Eldoret Showground

Helen O’Regan rscj visits the displaced persons at the Showground

It was on 27th December, 2007, that Kenyans took their time, made long queues, stayed hungry and tired to vote for the presidential candidate of their choice. It was after this day that tension surfaced and chaos erupted in the country like a volcano. This happened immediately after the electoral commission announced the winner.

At this point the local language determined whether you were alive or dead – that or the person you were known to have voted for. This was the beginning of the skirmishes which left over 1000 dead and 600,000 people displaced in various parts of the country. Our beloved  peaceful Kenya was now in pieces and the question was, who could join the pieces together again? Eldoret was the worst hit place and had a big number of internally displaced people (IDP)

I happened to be in Eldoret community at the time, recovering from surgery.  I was able to take time to follow what was happening in the country through the radio, TV, newspaper and evening sharing with community members. The suffering of people in the country made me forget my own pain. I felt the suffering Christ in Eldoret Showground needed whatever I could do. I shared with Sr. Helen O’Regan, our Council member in the community as well as the one accompanying me spiritually and  surrendered everything into the hands of the Lord. Thank God she responded to the Spirit very fast and contacted Sr. Patricia (MMS) who invited me to join her in working in the Showground under the umbrella of St Mary’s Medical Centre, Kapsoya, Eldoret. I met her the first day and the next day I reported to the Unit ready to join the team, going to the Showground as a volunteer.

When I arrived in the Showground I was shocked, devastated. Here we were faced with hungry and angry men, women and children, some with special needs, with sicknesses, with handicaps etc., wondering what to do. It was painful looking at our people whom I had lived with all along, called neighbour, friend, brother, sister. They had become ‘enemy’ and now they had no place to call home.

We agreed to give our service as a team of six from St. Mary’s Medical Centre, consisting of 2 nurses, a social worker, 2 students on attachment of social work and myself. What we offered above all was psycho-social support. Many wanted to share their experiences so we gave them time to share as much as they wanted. I remember listening to a woman sharing her experience for four hours. Her husband and her elder son of 15 had been burnt to death in a church. This mother of five, now a widow, was traumatized, talking non-stop. I had to be there for her, though at one moment I felt tired sitting on the ground under a tree. We kept on following the shade until it disappeared and then we had to be under the sun since the tents during the day are very hot. As she shared she was emotionally moved, and I felt that was a healing moment for her. I felt my presence was needed and when I shared with her I was able to see her smile and to see rays of hope on her face. Our General Chapter document of 2000 says ‘We are convinced…that our lives, given in love, are the strongest expression of our spirituality.’ I felt that being an rscj on the team made a difference to those I encountered.

The other services that we give are medical care, food where possible, and catering for special needs, like those of HIV/AIDS patients. We also give material things like blankets and clothes and we try to resettle those who were living near St. Mary’s before the violence by renting a house for them and giving them a way forward to support themselves.

Serving the Displaced Persons in the Camp has helped me to deepen my listening capacity, to recognize God’s love and presence in those different voices and to act accordingly.

As RSCJ called to communicate the love of the Heart of Jesus (Par. 10) I feel my presence with the Internally Displaced People in the camp has helped them to realize the need for healing, forgiveness and reconciliation. It was amazing because the people I visited were able to identify me as a religious person from the way I spoke to them, with respect and love. A woman said to me, ‘The way you dress each day, in a simple manner, with a cross, shows you are a religious.’  My colleagues put on tight and complicated clothes. It has made me reflect deeply on the message that is conveyed by the WAY one communicates, behaves and dresses.

The main challenge in the Camp is food. It is a struggle to survive. Then, it is very cold in the tents at night (as it is hot during the day).

All in all, God does not forget his people. He sent Mr. Kofi Annan with his colleague who led the mediation team to find the way of peace. Now I feel that we are heading somewhere. The white smoke that we have been waiting for for so long has begun to rise. Please continue praying for Kenya, that the process of healing, forgiveness and reconciliation and the resettlement of the displaced people may go forward.