9th May, 2008
Earlier this week, the Government of Kenya reopened the camp for internally displaced people (IDP) at Nairobi’s Jamhuri Park. There are approximately 2,500 people in the camp, mostly from the central Kenyan towns of Juja and Thika. The camp is mainly serving as a transit point as the government relocates the IDPs to destinations of their choice.
AMREF has built nine toilets and eight bathrooms in the camp, but these are not enough for the large number of people living there, says George Kimathi, who is in charge of AMREF’s operations at Jamhuri Park. AMREF installed water tanks with a capacity of 5,000 gallons for use by the displaced. Nevertheless, it is difficult to keep the toilets and compound clean, says Kimathi, and there is a real danger of disease outbreak. To prevent this, AMREF volunteers are giving health education to promote hygiene and organizing clean-up exercises to improve sanitation in the camp.
