Thursday, November 15, 2007

Feeding The Refugees



We woke up to heavy rain – we were a bit nervous that our trip to the Kageyo Refugee Camp would be cancelled and the roads would be un-drivable. We packed our rain coats and prepared ourselves for a muddy and rainy 3 hour drive. We rented another van to accommodate all of us – Robert, Hilary, our attorney, Pastor Emma and the Esther Home girls.

45 minutes into the drive we arrived at Kayonza and the rain subsided. We were all thankful. We met with the Mayor of the district – he was most welcoming and so appreciative of our mission to feed the refugees. The last time the refugees were feed was three months ago and there is no feeding scheduled for the next few months as the rains makes the transporting of the food impossible. The Kayonza district is no longer able to sponsor the feeding programs so they rely mainly on private donors. The camp is progressing and has been planting some corn to subsidize their food supply. The last time that Ron and I traveled to the camp to pick up Maria, an Esther Home girl, there were no signs of agricultural there.

On our trip to Rwanda in September we were touched by the people of the camp and recognized the need and the impact of the Refuge feeding program. Our family has been very blessed and collectively we wanted to participate in this program. The multiple bags of corn meal and beans feed 1,780 refugees. Distribution of the food is given to each member of the family. As the first refugee approached the feeding line I scooped out five cups of corn meal into their large flour sack. I was taken back at the small amount given to each of them – and then to realize that this will need to last them until after the first of the year – it was inconceivable.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

great job..."MY WIFE"...it's time to come home and feed me:)

I love you

Unknown said...

Dear Joyce -

Thank you for reminding me of the challenges that so many people face on a daily basis. God has definitely sent you on a mission. By sharing your trials and tribulations you open my heart and mind. Thank you.

-Eve