Kenya crisis leading to rise in number of orphans

|PIC1|The current violence in Kenya is responsible for a growing generation of orphans, according to Christian charity World Emergency Relief (WER).

The international development agency works closely with Hope Community Centre orphanage near Naivasha, one of the epicentres of violence. The orphanage has taken in more than 40 children in the last few days and is working to help safeguard many more who, due to the violence, have no family members to care for them.

The 40 children already taken in by the orphanage are being looked after by staff and counsellors, and WER has launched an emergency appeal to raise funds to help pay for their food and care.

Sister Lucy Gacheru, director of Hope Community Centre in North Kinangop near Naivasha, is working with local agencies to help identify children at risk, particularly in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps where it is thought many more orphaned children are living without adult care.

"It's a critical situation," says Alex Haxton, director of operations at WER. "These children need food and clothes as well as care and support, but the orphanage is already over stretched.

"We're hoping people will respond quickly to what is developing into a very real emergency for many children and their families."

Hope Community Centre is very close to the town of Naivasha which was the scene of bloodshed and brutality last week. Gangs wielding machetes and sticks have been fighting each other, resulting in at least 19 deaths last Sunday alone. This brings the death toll since the violence began after the disputed presidential elections in December 2007 to more than 800.

WER is in regular contact with Ms Gacheru to monitor the security of the children and staff at the orphanage and to assess ongoing areas of need within the local community.

Before the violence began, the orphanage was already providing a safe and loving home to more than 170 children, many of whom have been rescued from the streets of Nairobi and other cities in Kenya. The children, who range from just two months to 18-years-old, receive an education as well as the opportunity to learn vocational skills such as tailoring.

As well as helping the newly orphaned children at Hope Community Centre, WER's emergency appeal will also fund emergency aid, including food and medical supplies, for displaced families within the Nakuru and Naivasha areas. It is now estimated that 250,000 people have been uprooted from their homes by the fighting across the country.

For more information or to donate to WER's emergency appeal, go to www.wer-uk.org