From Germany with love
By Ally Jamah
On any other day, a huge Lufthansa cargo plane landing at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport after an eight-hour flight from Frankfurt, Germany, is ordinary. But the one that touched down Wednesday morning was not ordinary, for in its belly was special cargo.
The plane was packed with 90 tonnes of food, medicines and blankets worth millions of shillings all neatly tucked in bundles, and meant to reach some of the millions of people reeling under the cruel grip of famine in Kenya and the Horn of Africa.
The plane from Germany brought food, medicines and blankets worth millions for the hungry in northern Kenya and the Horn of Africa. [PHOTOS: KIBERA MBUGUA /STANDARD] |
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"This cargo plane, full of food and medicine is a hand of friendship from Germans who were deeply touched by the suffering of people here and responded overwhelmingly," said the Wings of Help president, Frank Franke, after touchdown.
The operation is, in fact, one of the largest airlift of humanitarian relief supplies from Germany to the region, where 12.4 million people are in need of emergency assistance.
Franke, who has run humanitarian missions in different parts of the world including Haiti during the devastating earthquake recently, says he was surprised at how quickly the people in Germany dug into their pockets to help starving Kenyans.
"Within only seven days of announcing our campaign, the response was so huge that we could dispatch a plane to Nairobi . It just shows how Germans were touched by the plight of the hunger-stricken," he says.
Rare solidarity
The huge response in Germany is similar to the Kenyans for Kenya initiative, which has seen ordinary Kenyans and corporate organisations in a rare solidarity in which hundreds of millions of shillings has been raised so far to help their fellow citizens facing famine.
The Wings of Help collected donations from all over Germany using 14 huge trucks, which were ferried to the Frankfurt International Airport for onwards transmission to Nairobi.
Lufthansa Cargo shouldered most of the cost in moving the relief supplies quickly to Kenya in an operation that would have costs millions of shillings.
"We hope to have other planes ready in the next few weeks. People in Germany really want to help alleviate the suffering. Many Germans have visited Kenya and love the place and people."
The Head of Economic Section at the German Embassy in Nairobi, who was at the airport to receive the plane, said that the hunger situation in Kenya and the Horn of Africa has received enormous media attention in Germany and moved the people to action.
"They saw the images on television and they immediately rose to help," he said.
The cargo plane is also accompanied by a number of medical personnel to take care of malnourished children and mothers who need the most critical care.
Proud to help
"We are proud to help with our skills and knowledge at this difficult time. When we heard of the difficulties people were going through, we naturally felt the need to extend a helping hand," says Dr Reinhard Ellebrecht of Cargo Human Care.
Now officials of the International Medical Corps are trying to get the humanitarian supplies to the most affected areas, especially in Garissa, Isiolo, Dadaab.
"We are coordinating with the relevant authorities to ensure the food and medicine we have reaches those who need it most. We plan to conduct similar missions in future," he said.
Lufthansa Cargo chairman Karl Ulrich Garnadt says direct aid in the provision of relief is the best.
"The generosity of the people of Germany and industry is immense when donations are needed. The challenge now is to ensure that relief supplies are transported quickly and efficiently," he emphasises.
Ministry of Special Programmes officials were at hand to receive the prize cargo.
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