Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Mogadishu (Agenzia Fides) - The commitment of the Church to assist the Somali people fleeing from hunger and war who have taken refuge in neighboring states continues, particularly in Kenya. His Exc. Mgr. Giorgio Bertin, Bishop of Djibouti and Apostolic Administrator of Mogadishu, as president of Caritas Somalia, has appointed Suzanna Tkalec as his assistant, of the Catholic Relief Services (CRS).
Mrs. Tkalec, as reported by Mgr. Bertin to Fides, will have the following tasks: to provide weekly updates on the situation in Somalia and Somali refugees in Kenya and Ethiopia; maintain contact with other Caritas operating in Nairobi in favor of Somali refugees; to participate in coordination meetings with other humanitarian agencies in Nairobi.
Even the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) has announced the intensification of its activities in Ethiopia and Kenya to help Somali refugees. According to a statement sent to Fides, the JRS teams in Nairobi and Kakuma camps assist 12,500 people, by giving education support, distributing food and other goods, as well as providing medical, psychological and financial aid. Among the most vulnerable people who receive assistance are the mentally ill and women who have suffered or are at risk of sexual violence.
In Ethiopia, in Addis Ababa, the JRS assists 4,000 Somalis, and is in the final stage of negotiations with the UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees) to provide psychosocial support and education in the camp of Dollo, where more than 100,000 Somalis are received. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 07/26/2011)
