Interview with Village Director from SOS Children's Village Eldoret
25/01/2008
"On the side of peace"
A state of emergency was declared in Kenya following the elections at the end of December. The violence between the different ethnic groups has escalated and at least 200 people are thought to have been murdered in the town of Eldoret alone. In this interview Keith Castelino, director of SOS Children's Villages Kenya, talks about the situation in the country and the emergency relief measures that SOS Children's Villages is taking.
Mr Castelino, 45 unaccompanied refugee children have just moved into SOS Children's Village Nairobi. How are they?
They are very scared and traumatised. They have lost their homes and have experienced the violent riots. Their parents are either missing or have been killed and in many cases it is not clear whether or not the children have any relatives that could take care of them.
Where have you placed the children?
We have assigned them to different families. I cannot stress enough how generous and considerate our SOS mothers have been in opening up their houses to newcomers. They all agreed to help immediately, even though they already have great responsibilities. We also consciously involved our children because they have to share their homes as well. So far it has worked extremely well.
Will it stop at the 45 refugee children?
I'm sure it won't because it's already clear that there's a much greater need. In addition to Nairobi, we have SOS Children's Villages in Eldoret, Meru and Mombasa, which will all be filled, as long as we have room.
In parallel to this, SOS Children's Villages has also launched an emergency relief programme.
We were already able to help in a small way in the first few days. Our children will for example skip one meal a week so that these meals can be given to refugee children. We have now taken extensive measures to cater for 2,000 people in cooperation with the Red Cross and other organisations. We are providing food, medication and basic essentials for families, particularly single mothers and their children.
Is there a special programme for refugee children that are staying at the SOS Children's Village?
Firstly, it is important to make them feel safe and that they are in a place where there are people to help them. The boys and girls receive medical care if needed, and professional support in recovering from their trauma. Otherwise, they should be able to lead a life that is as normal as possible, which includes going to school. SOS Children's Villages has been present in Kenya since the 1970s and benefits greatly from its many years of experience of working with traumatised and abandoned children. We will also be simultaneously working with the government to try to find the children's relatives.
There is no end in sight to the fighting and massacres between the different ethnic groups. Are the SOS Children's Villages also at risk?
Not directly, fortunately, but it is noticeable that there is fear and tension in the air. Over the first few days, some of our colleagues didn't dare to leave their homes, so they didn't turn up to work. We let them stay at the SOS Children's Villages for a while and some of them have since temporarily moved in with colleagues who live in safe areas.
Children, mothers and staff from different ethnic groups also live together at the SOS Children's Villages. Has that led to problems at all?
That never even used to be an issue! Any conflicts that did take place were between the different ethnic groups in rural areas. Which ethnic group you belonged to was not an issue in towns, and the same applied to the SOS Children's Villages. Up until recently I didn’t even know which ethnic group my colleagues belonged to. I have now had to ask to be sure that they are not in danger. It is a completely new experience for me.
How are the children reacting to the conflict?
I'll give you an example: one of our village directors belongs to a different ethnic group to his wife, so his son asked him: "What am I then, Dad?" He replied: "If you want to know what side you are on, I would say that you are on the side of peace, unity and justice."
How do you explain to the children what is currently happening in their country?
I try to convey to them that opposing sides cannot understand the position of others. And that there is an imbalance in Kenya: some people have more land than others, have had a better education and have more money. That leads to conflicts.
How do you think things will develop in Kenya?
Kenya has serious social problems and a solution urgently needs to be found to them, but that will not happen overnight. I can only hope that the fighting will come to an end soon, because people really need to start earning money again! Aside from all that, Kenya is currently seeing great economic losses because many people are not going to work and also because of course the tourists are staying away. A hotel in Mombasa that has 100 beds and is normally full currently has five guests, and planes from France or the Netherlands are almost empty.
How can people in Europe help?
It's happening again and again that people want to support us by sending relief supplies. It is well-meant, but is not sensible: at Mombasa airport, for example, the luggage is piling up. The staff cannot cope, so it can be three or four weeks before we get a delivery. The only thing that really helps is money, which we can use to pay for our emergency relief and to care for the children. We are extremely grateful for that.
Relevant Countries: Kenya.