Church donates food to needy households in Kibera Slums

By Rose Achiego, Nairobi, Saturday, 25^th, April 2020
 
The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) – Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (CJPC) in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Nairobi Caritas and CJPC Office on 25^th, April 2020 donated food items, detergents and face masks to the less fortunate at St Michael Otiende Parish.

Items consisting of eight kilograms of maize flour, six kilograms of wheat flour, two kilograms of sugar, two kilograms of green grams, three liters of cooking oil, two bars of soap for handwashing, 250 milliliters of sanitizer and face mask were given as a package in a basket of hope to each identified needy family from Kibera Slums.

Speaking while issuing the donation to some of the beneficiaries, the CJPC National Executive Secretary Beatrice Odera said the beneficiaries identified by CJPC Nairobi office, are those who mostly frequent the Church for assistance and are no longer able to get the same support since the government issued orders to close places of worship and other social gatherings in an effort to combat the spread of Coronavirus.

Odera thanked CAFOD, a United Kingdome based Organization through her office in Kenya led by Country Representative Catherin Ogola for putting a smile on the faces of the poor especially during this difficult moment when the world is battling a global pandemic.

She encouraged the beneficiaries to follow the guidelines put in place by the government so as to avoid contracting or spreading the COVID -19.

The instructions include regular handwashing with soap and water, hand sanitization, wearing masks in public places, keeping social distance by avoiding crowded places, and keeping 1.5 meters apart in addition to obeying curfew hours of dusk to dawn.

Meanwhile, Deputy Director of Caritas Nairobi Rev. Sister Modesther Karuri expressed gratitude to CJPC with funding from Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) for bringing hope to the needy who have always depended on the Church for support.

“In response to COVID -19 pandemic, the Archdiocese has come up with baskets of hope initiative where we are appealing to Christians and well-wishers and partners to heed to our call to support the neediest families in various parishes of the Archdiocese,” Karuri said.

The Archdiocese of Nairobi selected 75 families from three Parishes, being: St. Michael Otiende in Langata, Our Lady of Guadalupe in Adams and Christ the Kinga in Kibera to receive support for the next three months.

Those who received the help thanked the church for catering to their needs at a time when they were at the brink of losing hope. Some said they were attending to the sick adding that the assistance has come in handy.