Itipini Scattered

We have received some disturbing, if not tragic news from the Eastern Cape of South Africa in the village of Itipini, a community we have been visiting since 2006 and financially supporting for a year. Violence between people living at Waterfall, a nearby community, and Itipini resulted in the community being given 10 days notice to vacate the area before it was bulldozed. As a result, the 3,000 residents of Itipini are scattered. We are in touch with representatives of the African Medial Mission with whom we have people sleeping in one large room and a single toilet on site. The AMM is working to ID the residents in order to move them into government housing. One of the problems with identification process isworked. They report that as many as 350 people are being housed in a building, Rotary Hall, where conditions are poor, with all of the that is that few of the residents have birth certificates. Thankfully, they are using the medical records kept by the Itipini clinic to ID many of the residents. One of the tragedies is that the people of Itipini, the poorest of the poor, have been labeled "low lifes" and “criminals" so there are some communities that refuse to accept them. One the most immediate needs for the residents at Rotary Hall is food. Arm In Arm In Africa will be donating money to buy food to assist in this effort. If you would like to contribute to this cause, please click "Donate Today” on this web page, or send a check payable to Arm in Arm in Africa and mail to Arm In Arm In Africa, C/O Pat Murphy, 3415 Fordham Court, Minneapolis, MN 55421. Thank you for your support.

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For a detailed account of the events, please go to the blog of Karen Langsley, who is an African Medical Mission worker from the Itipini clinic whom we met on our most recent visit: http://kareninsouthafrica.blogspot.com.