Phelister Njeri, in her 20s, became a mother of five two weeks ago when she delivered twins at her home in Keringet division of the volatile New Molo district in Kenya's Rift Valley province. Njeri delivered at home because she could not make it to hospital due to ongoing clashes in the area, which have escalated since September, pitting members of three ethnic communities against each another.
A number of people from Njeri's village, including her three older children and her husband, fled when they heard that attackers were approaching but Njeri could not leave as she was weak from the delivery. Fortunately for her, a vehicle belonging to the Kenya Red Cross Society, reached her in time and took her to hospital at the district's headquarters in Molo town, from where she was discharged on 10 December.
She is now one of hundreds of internally displaced people camped in a church compound in Molo town, a few metres from the district commissioner's office. She spoke to IRIN on 11 December:
"The twins are named Serah and John. Since my arrival from hospital, the other displaced people have been kind enough to offer me this thin mattress and to allow me to sleep in the church here on the floor, unlike the others who are sleeping outside in the tents.
"My other children, the eldest of whom is eight years old, are also here, fortunately, and they keep checking on me and the twins. My husband is also around here somewhere but I think he spends the nights outside with the rest of the men.
"I have not had a shower since I left hospital, mainly because there is no water and I haven't moved from where I am lying next to the twins; I feel weak and faint when I try to stand, I think I need something to drink. We are given food but I haven't had anything to drink, if only I could get some juice or some milk.
"My greatest fear, however, is that because the nights are so cold and I have very little clothing for my twins, I fear they could catch pneumonia or something. I am trying to breast-feed them as much as I can and to keep them warm as best as I can but I need more clothing for them; I need a warmer area, this church floor is so cold, even during the day.
"As I lie here, I keep wondering, would I go back to my home if I heard that it was now safe to return? I don't think so. I hear fighting is still going on and the attackers are still roaming around, burning houses and looting the property they have not torched; this happens every five years and I am tired of it all. I wish a permanent solution was found so that I could care for my children in peace."
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This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
