by Katie Ouma
Photos of flash flooding in the Kibagari settlement.
As you may have seen in the news or on our social media, Kenya is experiencing great loss and devastation right now. Around three weeks ago, heavy rains started in Kenya and they haven’t stopped. Every night we can hear the rain when it starts to fall. The rain has caused devastating flooding that has displaced thousands of people, hundreds have lost their lives, and hundreds more are missing.
In Kibagari, where we serve, a river runs through the community right behind the Hope Center. The houses along that river have suffered the effects of the flooding the most. Thanks to many of you, we have received donations totaling $2,035 to allow us to help the victims of this flooding. We are providing clothing, mattresses, school supplies, and helping to reconstruct homes that have been destroyed. We are also providing heavy coats for the children we serve who are living on the streets, as they suffer the long nights in this rain.
We have experienced some flooding in the main hall of the Hope Center, but our toilets have been destroyed and will need to be replaced. The government has shut down schools, so we are now feeding our sponsored children one meal a day at the Hope Center. We are grateful for the new permanent kitchen that allows us to cook entirely inside!
Again, a BIG thank you to all of you who have donated to allow us to care for our community in this difficult time of need. Because of your generosity, we have been able to come along side our community friends with tangible help. Would you continue to pray for us as we serve Kibagari? We are hoping the love we are showing in tangible ways during this extra difficult time will bring many to Jesus.
If you have not yet donated and would like to be part of our relief effort, you may donate by going to our giving page here and selecting “Flood Relief” from the drop-down bar in the pop-up menu. As always, donations to GBHT are tax deductible. We pray that God will bless you richly for sharing with our Kenyan brothers and sisters who are in need.