Photo by Hannah Bader
By Amanda Moore
Editor-In-Chief
April 7, 2006
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Turkana and Maasai people in Kenya are experiencing
a severe drought. Photo by Hannah Bader |
Yesterday in chapel, senior Hannah Bader and junior Andy Ross introduced a project called “Bread for Kenya” that will help raise money for the hungry people in Kenya.
On average, Kenya experiences a drought every seven years, but the most recent drought has lasted since 1999, according to the World Food Programme (WFP) Web site, http://www.wfp.org. Three and a half million Kenyans are in serious danger of starvation due to a $189 million funding shortage in Kenya.
“The Maasai of southern Kenya and the Turkana of northern Kenya are in desperate need of aid because they rely on gardens, cattle and goats for their food sources,” said Ross, who lived in Kenya while his parents served as missionaries from1987-1994. “Tons of animals have died and will need to be restocked.”
Hopwood Memorial Christian Church adopted the “Bread for Kenya” project for Lent, as reported in The Stampede on March 3. Milligan students and faculty were invited to join in this project.
In the past week, Milligan students have decided to extend the project for the remainder of this semester and invite the campus to join them in fasting and practicing other money saving tactics.
“If this problem is ever going to be alleviated, which it definitely can be, it has to start with you and me,” said Bader, who lived in Kenya while her parents served as missionaries from 1988 to 1998. “It seems almost too big of a problem to deal with in our already messy, busy worlds, but the thing is, we can do something and have to.”
Students are asked to give up frivolous spending habits for the next month, keep track of the money saved and give the money to help feed the hungry people of Kenya.
“For me, it’s $4 drinks at Starbucks and $15 cds,” Bader said. “For you, it might be a pizza, coffee or going to a movie.”
Money will be collected at the remaining 5 chapels or convo services of the semester and at Adoration services on Tuesday evenings at Hopwood. The money raised will be sent to Christian Missionary Fellowship to provide emergency drought funds for Maasai and Turkana people in Kenya. Checks should be written to Christian Missionary Fellowship with “Bread for Kenya” in the memo line.
In addition, students will meet in Seeger Chapel at noon on Wednesdays to pray for the Turkana and Maasai. Students will also participate in a weekly fast for the remainder of the semester.
“We’re asking anyone who is able and willing to join in solidarity with our Maasai brothers and sisters by fasting on Wednesdays for one or all meals,” Ross said.
“The Turkana and Maasai are communities full of vibrant, colorful, living, breathing people,” Bader said, “It’s very, very hard to ignore and write off these people when we see them in such a way.”