Sentinel Watch October 10, 2011 Issue

A spiritual response to drought and famine

Nellie Gitau

The famine in the Horn of Africa is ravaging (see “World Bank steps in to help an overwhelmed Kenya,” The Christian Science Monitor, September 2). In Kenya, where I live, it is estimated that close to four million people are faced with starvation. Many have died, livestock and animals have been wiped out, and the pictures of suffering are disconcerting.

Nevertheless, in the true spirit of good neighborliness, Kenyans have made donations big and small to help ease the effects of a drought said to be the severest in more than 50 years. Other donors have included foreign governments, UN bodies, local and international NGOs, and many more.

How do we find our way out of this drought and famine? And how can we find a permanent solution to the seeming cycle of suffering and relief, which has a way of repeating itself with the vagaries of climate and harvest? Many good suggestions have been discussed, including the rehabilitation and management of water resources for irrigation, sinking of boreholes, the farming of high-nutrition drought-resistant crops, and potential dietary changes among local communities. But to be able to turn this around in meaningful and lasting ways, we must also mentally turn upward from the material picture of lack, to understand and focus on God’s abundance. This spiritual stand is what will ultimately bring about the required shift.

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