Randy Reid Reaches Milestone
Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008
STAFF WRITER
TIHE LOQUITUR YOU SPEAK, WE LISTEN
Radnor, Pa.
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Cabrini Alum Sings on Idol
CABRINI COLLEGE
50 Vol XLIX, Issue 14
www.theloquitur.com
Election disrupts peace in Kenya Hunger A country in shambles struggles to regain its order. VICKIE PAPAGEORGE COPY EDITOR VP724@CABRINI.EDU DIANA VILARES EVENTS EDITOR DVV722@CABRINI.EDU
When Robert Makunu, the Catholic Relief Services deputy HIV/AIDS unit manager, spoke to Cabrini students Nov. 27 for World AIDS Day, he said, “Come, visit Kenya.” Cabrini students, stirred by the picture of an extremely poor country nevertheless making great progress in combating HIV/AIDS and developing into one of the most stable countries in Africa, seriously considered how they could find a way to visit him and see CRS work in Kenya. Exactly one month later, Kenya’s place as a stable democracy was shaken as the country experienced rioting after a disputed presidential election. On Dec. 27 violence erupted in a usually peaceful nation when President Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner in a disputed vote count, beating out contender Raila Odinga. As a result, more than 650 people have died and approximately 220,000 were displaced due to burning, looting and marauding mobs in Nairobi and western Kenyan towns. CRS country representative Ken MacLean spoke in a phone interview with Loquitur and said, “The height of the violence
is over but there are concentrated pockets of bad violence.” Catholic Relief Services has transitioned itself to providing emergency relief and aid on the ground for the country while attempting to maintain the numerous developmental projects they have implemented over the years. The Children Behind Project, the community-based development program which Makunu partakes in, is among one of the projects that is in danger due to the sudden violence in Kenya. “Kenyan hearts are bleeding, and CRS staff hearts are bleeding too,” MacLean said, in an open dialogue discussion found in the CRS blogs. The violence began shortly after President Kibaki was declared the winner of the election. Odinga claims the vote was rigged, which triggered widespread rage and violence among the tribes in the streets of Kenya. Thousands fled their homes to avoid the sound of violence that penetrated villages. In addition to teaching young Kenyans arithmetic and grammar, schools along with churches became safe havens before proper assistance was established. Kenyans were subjected to living under scraps of tin sheets that once held together their homes. Businesses have been closed for weeks, and the once stable and
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in Phila. MALLORY TERRENCE STAFF WRITER
MMT723@CABRINI.EDU MEGHAN SMITH STAFF WRITER MES733@CABRINI.EDU
Two and a half years ago, 2312 Gina Drive, La. was a place where Edna Guerra called home. Today, 2312 Gina Drive is nothing more than an empty lot holding a FEMA trailer that is not much larger than a walk-in closet. This is one of the many repercussions of Hurricane Katrina. “A lot of days I cry. My heart is
Imagine having four children and only one can of beans to feed them for dinner. This is a reality faced by people living in the Philadelphia area who are not able to make a dollar stretch far enough to feed their families. One in four Philadelphians lives in poverty, meaning a family of four makes less than $20,000. While the holiday season is a time of joy and celebration for many, for the 25 percent of Philadelphians living below the poverty line, the holidays can be a burden, struggling to put food on the table and gifts under the tree. Students at Cabrini and in schools and churches across the country are very generous at Christmastime. But after the holidays, people sometimes forget about giving food to those who are hungry. “It’s difficult to care when it is not the holidays,” Shannon Keough, event coordinator of Poverty Awareness Month, said. One who does not forget about the hungry is Kevin Murphy, a sophomore at LaSalle University. He has been volunteering in the Philadelphia area all year round for the last six years. Murphy is a dedicated volunteer who would rather spend his time helping the less fortunate instead of playing sports with his friends. Murphy met a 42-yearold man named Mike whose life as a husband and father turned into one of addiction and alcoholism. After four months of complete sobriety, Mike fell back into his addictions following an open-heart operation that saved his life. For years Murphy has assisted at a soup kitchen in the Kensington section of Phila-
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PHOTO BY DANE FREDENBURG/CRS
CRS is providing technical assistance to set up water systems and latrines at sites housing displaced families in Kenya.
Boost from students give struggling New Orleans hope ASHLEY COOK NEWS EDITOR AAC722@CABRINI.EDU MEGAN PELLEGRINO COPY EDITOR MRP727@CABRINI.EDU JILLIAN SMITH PERSPECTIVES EDITOR JKS724@CABRINI.EDU
JILLIAN SMITH/PERSPECTIVES EDITOR
Two years later, the devastation of Katrina can still be seen in each small community. Many houses, uninsured, are so damaged, they cannot be fixed promptly.