Displaced minors need counselling
More than 3,000 displaced children at the Eldoret showground need urgent counselling due to trauma. Child Welfare Society of Kenya official, Ms Esther Kihara, said most of the children had been psychologically affected by violence. “The children saw people killed, houses that used to be their homes burnt and some lost their parents, brothers or sisters. They, therefore, need professional counselling to withstand the trauma,” she said. She added that they were living in difficult conditions that affected their health and were at risk of contracting infectious diseases. “The children need warm clothes to shield them from adverse weather conditions, especially at night when they sleep in temporary tents,” said Kihara.
The camp hosts more than 14,000 displaced people housed in temporary tents. At Eldoret’s Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, more than 10,000 displaced people in Uasin Gishu District have been counselled. Child Welfare Society of Kenya Public Relations Manager, Mr Tony Kirwa, said the victims had been counselled through the support of the hospital and other organisations in the region.
“The victims have been helped on how to overcome trauma, especially those who survived the church fire at Kiambaa,” said Kirwa. The hospital, the biggest referral one in western Kenya, has been offering treatment to thousands who were injured in the violence. “Those undergoing treatment have also been counselled and this has given them hope,” said Kirwa.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that more than 250, 000 displaced people lack proper health care and face a growing risk of disease and sexual violence. WHO cautioned that the makeshift camps in Nairobi, Eldoret, Nakuru and Naivasha that house displaced people were overcrowded and lacked adequate sanitation.
Initial assessment of the camps showed them to be “very crowded, with poor shelter, water supply, sanitation, food shortages and no cooking fuel, “ said the UN agency. WHO also noted an upsurge in cases of sexual violence and expressed concern that victims could not access medical or psychological support.
East African Standard
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