South Africa Needs Help
Posted on: June 19, 2008
Every Nation South Africa

(Editor’s Notes: The following text came from a newsletter sent by His People/Every Nation church in South Africa. Images used for this article were taken from Flickr.com)

Refugees line up to
get foodat a camp set up by
the South African government.

On Sunday 10th May xenophobic attacks broke out in Alexandra Township north of Johannesburg, South Africa and within two weeks had spread to many of the nation’s centers. Foreign nationals from countries as diverse as Ethiopia, Burundi, and from Zimbabwe to Mozambique were ousted from their homes and senselessly attacked while their homes and shops were looted. Thousands fled for their lives. In the hours that followed, His People/Every Nation was one of the many churches that responded to this abysmal situation. To date there have been more than fifty deaths and in Cape Town alone there are believed to be 20,000 homeless. In Somerset West, our church there housed 1,500 over the first week of violence.

There's hope in the face of this child

A small school with two classrooms has been set up for the more than seventy children; there is also a nursery. A medical clinic provides basic help while an army of volunteers in the kitchen provides meal after meal. The community has responded by providing goods, clothing, and assistance. The refugees themselves have been amazingly patient and calm–we thank God for His peace in a world of turmoil.