A Visit to the Refugee Camp

Taken from an email written by Joe Wilson in September, 2008.

Hello from afar!

Yes, once again the time has come for me to send a little communique to all of you wonderful people that I have the pleasure of knowing back home.  After a great deal of travel to some of the world's most fascinating locations I've now found myself back in a dusty, overcrowded, heavily polluted and 100% McDonald-less corner of the world known as Mother Africa.  It feels so good to be back!

After only being here for a week, I see things so much differently the second time around.  The cultural traditions, the less ambitious pace of life and, most notably, the incredible level of poverty that still exists here - all seems to hit some sort of proverbial "shield of expectation" within me.  Perhaps best compared to the likes of a surgeon who has performed too many unsuccessful ER operations... I feel less affected, on an emotional level, to my surroundings. 

One incredibly strong exception to this has come from what I experienced one day ago, in the city of Nakuru, about 3 hours from Nairobi, Kenya where I'm staying.  About 9 months ago, a corrupt election led to massive violence across the country.  Riots ensued; buildings were burned and ultimately tribal persecution let to genocide.

What remains today in Nakuru is the country's largest refugee camp: over 12,000 people - penny-less families, and what feels like enough orphans to occupy Lambeau Field, all stacked on top of each other in a holding ground that is lacking in every imaginable way.  Living two families per UN donated tent, they receive rations of food once or twice a month, have no electricity, a river of sewage between the tents and one water pump for 12,000 people.  

Even after expecting it, seeing it was hard to take in.

Given the fact that I know many of you want to help the disadvantaged in some sort of way, I've decided to rent a Military Cargo Truck and fill it with as much food as all of your donation dollars can buy.  Whatever you donate in the next two weeks will 100% to toward buying bags of Rice, Flour, Beans, Sugar, Potatoes and other dispensable food for the camp.

Best,

Joe

Joe was able to raise almost $2500 to purchase more than 7 tons of beans, flour, corn, greens and rice for the refugees at the camp.  Go here to see a video of the food distribution.