Emily Davila consults with the host Rev. David Ntidendeza pastor at LCR while Kenya deligation looks on.

The Lutheran Church of Rwanda (LCR), in partnership with the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), is hosting a conference on youth leadership here in Kigali, Rwanda. More than 80-100 youth, including international and regional participants are streaming into Rwanda beginning today to discuss ecumenism, reconciliation, and poverty alleviation. The conference will have three components: dialogue with church leaders and small group discussions; genocide memorial visit and reconciliation workshops; launching and building capacity of youth-led income generation projects.

Participants from Kenya, Uganda, Dominical Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi, USA, Namibia and Rwanda converge at the Eglise Presbyterienne Au Rwanda;

Christine Mangale and i aboard a KQ flight to Kigali for the ELCA youth conference

Maasai Market in Nairobi.

The market offers various hand made crafts suitable for presents and gifts.

ELCA Uganda Documentary: Suffering, But Willing to Forgive

http://nairobivideotrainingworkshop.blogspot.com/

Kenya: Fear overshadows desire to return home

By George Arende/ACT International

Nairobi, January 17, 2008--Ann Owino is one among tens of thousands of Kenyans forced from their homes by post-election violence. She wants to return home to the Kiambiu slum with her two children, but fears doing so in the midst of the ongoing turmoil.

The memory of the horrifying night when Ms. Owino fled the slum is still fresh in her mind. “People were burning houses, beating and cutting,” she said. “They killed men … raped women and girls.”

Her husband was not spared in the violence and was taken to the hospital, while his family depends on support and food assistance from humanitarian organizations.

Some residents of the Kiambiu slums sought refuge at an overcrowded camp outside the slum chief’s office. Ms. Owino managed to secure a space in what she described as unbearable conditions.

She now calls the camp home.

Fleeing the violence in the Mathare slums, 346 families also formed a makeshift camp outside the Moi Air Force Base. Nancy Wanjiru is a Mathare resident and mother of four children. Her story first hit the local television news with shocking images of her husband who was severely cut on the head and left for dead.

Ms. Wanjiru recalled how unknown people forcefully entered her house, pushing through the iron sheet wall. Her husband tried to restrain the huge crowd, but they eventually overpowered him. They beat him, cutting him with machetes, and threw him into Nairobi River to die.

Neighbours helped Ms. Wanjiru pull her husband, who had survived the attack, from the polluted river and rushed him to the hospital.

After what happened to her husband, Ms. Wanjiru said she is afraid for her life, but is willing to return home once security can be better established.

As the crisis in Kenya continues, ACT member, Church World Service (CWS), has provided food support to 1,500 displaced families from the Kiambiu and Mathare slums through its local partner, the Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church (KELC). Both of the families of Ms. Owino and Ms. Wanjiru were supported through the food distribution of cooking oil, corn flour, salt and vegetables.

Reflecting on her situation in the overcrowded makeshift camp, Ms. Owino is grateful to have found a place to lay her head. She said, “I am lucky… At night people here sleep while standing.”

Diakonia mid-term review workshop

Lukenya Gateway hotel

I attended a workshop for reviewing the HIV/AIDS program am implementing at KELC. The meeting was amazing and provided an opportunity to meeting with other partners and friends who implement projects based on the following thematic areas: HIV/AIDS, gender, Economic justice, governance among others.

Here are some shared pictures...