Author: KANERE

Perpetual Water Issues Raise Questions

Post author By KANERE
Post date December 22, 2008

Volume 1, Issue 1 / December 2008

Refugees collect water at Zone Five, Kakuma Refugee Camp.

Water in Kakuma Refugee Camp is the most critical basic need to be unfairly distributed, yet people in the camp face this problem time and again. Water has been a point of dissatisfaction for years. Community leaders have raised many issues concerning water at monthly meetings with UNHCR and NGO staff, but nobody seems to heed their concerns by giving a proper solution. KANERE sat down with a staff member at the Lutheran World Federation Water Department (LWF Water) to discuss these issues.

Humanitarian Services

Health Care Challenges, Successes in 2008

Post author By KANERE
Post date December 22, 2008

Refugees and locals await service at Clinic Four.

Volume 1, Issue 1 / December 2008

Health care services are a vital component of UNHCR’s mission to ensure that all refugees have access to a minimum standard of protection and essential material assistance. In Kakuma Refugee Camp, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is the implementing agency responsible for health care provision. The organization has tried its level best to curb all health related issues.

Human Rights

Children’s Rights in Africa: A Forward March

Post author By KANERE
Post date December 22, 2008

Volume 1, Issue 1 / December 2008

I wonder how one can explain to an African parent—who grew up knowing spanking as the only way to correct a child—that it is wrong to do so because every child has a right not to be hit and to be talked to with love. I recently witnessed a scenario in which a mother refused to feed and clothe her child because he was naughty, commanding him to go to the Child Right’s Office at Lutheran World Federation (LWF) to be catered for.

Human Rights

Child Workers in Kakuma Refugee Camp

Post author By KANERE
Post date December 22, 2008

Child workers share a happy moment at the water tap.

Volume 1, Issue 1 / December 2008

The children look emaciated, tired, and older than their real age. A look in their faces will tell you that they lack much hope for their future lives. These are the children who labor throughout Kakuma Refugee Camp as household help. I happened to meet some these children and had the opportunity to interview them about their lives. I came to the conclusion that most youth don’t work for sheer pleasure, but only so that they may eke out a living.

Health

Youth Turn to Drugs to Forget Life Problems

Post author By KANERE
Post date December 22, 2008

A woman sells miraa in the Somali Market.

Volume 1, Issue 1 / December 2008

Drug abuse among the youth in Kakuma Refugee Camp is a serious and persistent problem. It has caused many youth to lose their hopes, great expectations, and also their dignity. Youth as young as ten years of age are using drugs, while cases of bhang smoking are reported among children as young as seven years of age.

Education

Repatriation is Stumbling Block to Refugee Education

Post author By KANERE
Post date December 22, 2008

Class 8 students at Unity Primary School after exams.

Volume 1, Issue 1 / December 2008

In September 2007, a tripartite agreement was signed between the Government of Southern Sudan, the UNHCR, and the Governments of Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia. The Tripartite Agreement allowed for Sudanese refugees were to be repatriated back to their country on a voluntary basis.

Education

Setbacks in Education Look to Continue in 2009

Post author By KANERE
Post date December 22, 2008

An encouraging message on a classroom door.

Volume 1, Issue 1 / December 2008

As of November 2008, Kakuma Refugee Camp has approximately 10,400 pupils in primary schools and 800 pupils in secondary schools. Two thirds of the student population in each case is comprised of boys, while the remaining one-third is girls.

Community and Culture

Refugee NGO Takes Creative Approach to Social Services

Post author By KANERE
Post date December 22, 2008

Mr. Mengistu ouside his NGO, HVVS.

Volume 1, Issue 1 / December 2008

Kakuma Refugee Camp is blessed with a number of NGOs operating their humanitarian missions holistically and rendering services to the refugee and host communities free of charge. Some of these services include health facilities, food distribution, education, vocational training, counseling, and more. However, it has been found that outreach services are more effective and successful when they are supported with community-based organizations and volunteers.

Peace and Security

Peace and Security Remains a Challenge

Post author By KANERE
Post date December 22, 2008

Elizabeth nurses her child after suffering a bullet wound in July.

Volume 1, Issue 1 / December 2008

Kakuma Refugee Camp hosts thousands of refugees from various nationalities who fled their home countries because of violence, war, or insecurity. Refugees came to seek refuge in Kenya in search for peace and security, to find a place free from threats and violence. Kakuma Refugee Camp has proven to offer some level of peace and security, but it is not satisfactory.

Peace and Security

“I Fight for Justice Over Injustice”

Post author By KANERE
Post date December 22, 2008

A public message for Kakuma camp residents.

Volume 1, Issue 1 / December 2008

“I fight for justice over injustice.” These are the words spoken by Samuel Esianyen Lokumak, born in the Kakuma area of Turkana District in 1952. He is a chief elder, peace maker, and security officer for local and refugee communities.