In the Heart of Darkness
At the same time, Somalia's agriculture has been devastated by alternating droughts and floods. To escape certain starvation, hundreds of thousands of Somalis have been fleeing for the past three years. And if another drought were to hit the country this year, the number of starving people in Somalia would rise to 4.4 million – around one third of the total population.
A large proportion of these people seeking protection move to Kenya and live there in huge refugee camps. They need survival aid in the form of food and medical care. And even more than that, they need Jesus. But anyone who tries to bring them God's love is, figuratively speaking, walking through a minefield. Migrants of Somali origin find themselves in a complex web of connections, guarantees, obligations, and strongly patriarchal structures that is difficult for outsiders to understand. In addition, their community is permeated by rigorous Islamic law – even in the camps.
Our Kenyan partner organization, which has several employees from East Africa, has a big heart for refugees. They are experienced in sharing the Good News of Jesus with Muslims. Normally, they find that people who have lost everything are longing for hope. But with the Somalis, they encounter strong rejection and come up against a spiritual wall, as it were. Because Al-Shabab does not stop at national borders, the migrants are deeply afraid. Even Somalis who come to know Jesus during their flight are still in mortal danger.
Nevertheless, ACP, together with its local partner, wants to achieve the seemingly impossible: to reach Somali society with the gospel.
