93 people dead. The news last night spent the first half of the hour displaying images of extreme flooding across the country. They said that 93 people have died because of the flood. Considering most Kenyans can't swim, it is not so surprising. Entire villages have turned into lakes and big roads are now fast flowing rivers. You would think that rain would be a blessing especially for all the agriculture in Kenya but it's quite the opposite. The harsh rain is destroying the crops. Tomatoes do not ripen. They start rotting when they are still green. Roads are washed out so transporting food is hard which makes the cost of the available food sky rocket.
Whats really ironic is that this time last year, 10 million people were starving because of extreme drought. They whole country was yearning for rain. People were killing themselves before starvation could kill them. Again, the price of food sky rocketed. Chickens doubled in price. Maize (corn) stopped growing and dried up. It was a sad sight.
Two very different extremes happening in one year. Both leaving people stranded with empty bellies.
But what is even more sad is when people are dying of hunger when food is available. One of the children here in Ilula recently attended his sister's funeral. Cause of death:hunger. She was a young mother of 4 recently giving birth to twins. She wasn't eating enough. Her husband was a drunkard and neglected to take care of his family. The area they live in is not affected by the extreme floods. The crops are growing quite well and the food is plenty so why did this lady go hungry?? Eventually the pancreatic acid started eating away at her liver. And her husband let it all happen. This is not an issue of weather. This is a social issue. And because of it, one of our kids is without his sister.
Pray for Kenya at this time and pray for this young boy to cope with the death of his sister.
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