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The Anglican Church of Kenya in Southern Nyanza has started distributing relief food to more than 70,000 needy and vulnerable families across the region.
The identified families are those whose houses, crops and personal belongings were destroyed by floods and backflow of Lake Victoria waters.
The church mobilised resources and bought the relief aid through its Anglican Development Services department.
Some of the donations included maize, beans, rice and bars of soap.
Diocesan Bishop Simon Onyango said many of the identified families cannot afford to meet basic needs.
The cleric said the condition of the families has also been worsened by the restrictions the government has put in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The church could no longer wait to see its people continue to suffer due to the calamities. Christianity is about giving hence we had to chip in,” Onyango said.
He spoke when he launched the distribution of food at St Luke’s Ogongo Parish in Lambwe, Suba North constituency on Wednesday.
The cleric urged the church community and leaders to cooperate and help the government contain the spread of the coronavirus.
He said self-discipline was necessary and paramount for the people as they comply with the government’s guidelines to win the war against the virus.
“Fearing God is part of discipline in Christian teaching. This is a critical role we encourage our people to have especially in this time of the pandemic,” he said.
Onyango said the donations were made to mitigate the adverse effects caused by floods and the pandemic which have affected some of the church leaders.
He said some of his colleagues are starving after the government banned worshipping in churches — the source of their livelihood.
“For us to triumph over the Covid-19, the church must not only give spiritual nourishment but also provide physical needs to the people,” he said.
The distribution will run over five days in Homa Bay, Nyamira, Migori and Kisii counties.
Moses Owii, the officer in charge of the Anglican Development Services in Nyanza region, said the organisation plans to distribute clothes and face masks to the needy families.
“Many people live from hand to mouth and since the Covid-19 outbreak, they can’t conduct their daily activities to enable them put food on the table,” Owii said.
Mary Nyang’odi, 73 and Jael Atieno 59, said they were suffering after raging floods swept away their crops and houses were submerged.
Nyang’odi said many of them were facing starvation.
(edited by o. owino)