Waliwana villages in the Mathengi scrub bush
of North Eastern Province, Kenya
Depending on who you ask, the tribal sub groups within Kenya number as high as 90. The Cushitic peoples of Northern and North Eastern Kenya for about 2% of the national population, mostly Somali and Oromo speaking groups that struggle for political voice and influence. But there are many other smaller people groups who have little to no visibility. Over the past two years, Canadian Baptist Ministries has been increasing its work amongst such communities.
"Malakote" is pejorative term for the Waliwana people of Kenya's Tana River. It basically means "the people who don't belong anywhere". The Waliwana are an ethnically Bantu people who farm along the river banks. Having little to no official land ownership, they are a marginalized people.
The famine of 2011 was devastating for much of the Waliwana people, but harder still were the floods of this winter that destroyed homes and farms. Presently, CBM is providing emergency relief through supplementary feeding and rations to Waliwana people of three villages in partnership with local churches and Muslim NGOs in the community.
Please pray for the Waliwana community, that through this time of relief and recovery that they would experience hope and dignity as they rebuild their villages and discover the love of their Christian neighbours.
Our CBM colleague Yattani Gollo meeting with
a group of Waliwana Leaders, near the Tana River
No comments:
Post a Comment