The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints partnered with the National Islamic Leadership Forum to provide emergency aid to thousands of vulnerable families in drought-stricken areas of Kenya.
At the end of May, Church representatives and NAMLEF teams brought food and water to nomadic communities in an isolated sub-region of northeastern Kenya, distributing 250 tons of food rations to 3,011 households across 24 villages, as well as providing clean water in 16 locations directly to 2,142 households, the Church’s Africa Newsroom reported.
The report said the emergency intervention “effectively stemmed the impending acute malnutrition and dehydration crisis” and helped build friendships and committed bonds among organizations working to care for people in need.
Dennis Mukasa, the Church’s Humanitarian Manager for Central Africa, explained: “We are doing this so that the world can save lives affected by the severe weather that has affected the region, and also to bring religion to this community so that families can be raised in unity and love.”
Getting to the community was logistically difficult because a major road had been washed away in a flash flood a few days before the delivery. The team had to navigate poor and rough terrain, including jagged volcanic rocks. The food and water made the vehicle heavier, but the tires repeatedly sustained severe damage, requiring emergency repairs on the road.
When the truck arrived at the village, the team unloaded the relief supplies and placed them in separate piles for each household. Women from each household sat by their designated stakes when their names were called so that no family member was overlooked.
Sister Denise Chadwick, who serves as a humanitarian missionary in the Central African region, spoke about her experience.
“It was amazing to see these women and see their great joy when they heard their name called and walked over and saw this pile of food,” she said in an Africa Newsroom release. “It wasn’t anything special. It was just necessities that they knew were life-saving necessities that would help families for months.”
Her husband, Elder Alan Chadwick, said, “We believe that Jesus Christ went around doing good, and we feel that we should do the same and follow his example.”
In a letter to Elder Thierry K. Mutombo, a General Authority Seventy and President of the Africa Central Area, NAMLEF Executive Director Salim Bayani writes of what an honor it is for his organization to attend and oversee the Church delegation. He said they “tread tirelessly alongside our field workers in challenging conditions. … Their cohesiveness and hands-on oversight underscore the depth of our collaborative values.”
NAMLEF also invited the Africa Central Region Presidency to a thank you dinner to be held in Nairobi, Kenya on 27 June. In its final project report, the organization once again expressed its gratitude to the church’s humanitarian missionaries and managers, saying, “Their active participation and solidarity on the dusty roads brought invaluable encouragement to both the field workers and the beneficiary communities.”
