Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Nairobi (Agenzia Fides) – On the eve of the Summit on Climate Change scheduled to take place in Copenhagen (December 7-18), Agenzia Fides wishes to re-publish an article originally written for the magazine “The Harp” by missionary Fr. Tom Leyden, SVD (Society of the Divine Word), on the serious damages occurring in Kenya due to a drought that, according to experts, is being caused by the “El Nino” phenomenon.
“Equatorial places evoke dreams of endless caressing sunshine without the harsh reality breaking in. Presently in the Horn of Africa we have a biting withering drought that is life defying. Forecasters predict El Nino rains on the way, but like Elijah's little cloud on the horizon nothing visible so far. Our mission in DolDol is highly vulnerable at such rainless times.
Tourists flock to Kenya to see some wildlife in the open. It might dampen the expectation to know that already in our mission area 16 elephants have recently died all succumbing to malnutrition. With limited consciousness of the value of tree cover, the pastoralists have watched the trees disappear. With few trees there are limited leaves and, despite all their bulk, elephants cannot survive on empty bellies. Even the mighty can fall. The drought is evidence of a much bigger issue, climate change, which is increasingly evident here. At this time, Kenya has an inspirational voice, that is, if it is listened to. I refer to Wargari Maathi. Recently I joined the Loreto sisters in Kenya for the 400 years anniversary celebrations of the founding of their Institute by Mary Ward of Ireland in 1609. The first Loreto sisters in Kenya were young Irish women who came here 80 years ago and offered some schooling opportunities to young Kenyan girls in the pre-independence times, that of the colonial ascendancy. One of the girls who went to their school was Wargari Maathi who, later on, became the first African woman to be awarded a PhD and was more recently the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, for her total sacrificial commitment to the protection of the environment. When a tree is measured by its monetary value rather than as a seed of hope for the planets survival then we are, metaphorically speaking, on very thin ice. Figures currently indicate that there are 40 million people in the Horn of Africa who are short of food! We need the inspiration of people like Wargari Maathi today.”
Green Belt Movement activist and founder Wangari Muta Maathai in the 1990s led a strong campaign of awareness on the problems of nature, especially deforestation. She founded the Green Belt Movement, a non-profit organization that has planted over 40 million trees in Kenya to combat erosion. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 2/12/2009)
