IMPACT NOVEMBER 2015
Mother and son share an embrace.
SOLIDARITY
FAMILY RECOUNTS TERROR ATTACK Editor’s note: The names of the sponsored student and mother in this story were changed for their protection.
Families served by Unbound in areas around the world live with the threat of violence stemming from crime, armed conflict and terrorism. Unbound strives to be a peaceful presence in communities by bringing people from diverse backgrounds and faiths together in a spirit of mutual respect and support. When families are affected by violence, the Unbound community stands with them as a force for love and good. In Kenya last April, one sponsored student’s life was changed by violence. The 20-year-old student was at Garissa University College in northern Kenya when gunmen attacked the
school, killing 147 people, most of them students. The militant group Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility. The young man and his mother shared their story with Unbound.
A traumatic phone call “My husband wakes up very early to go to work,” the mother, Anna, said. “The 2nd of April was no exception. We woke up and, as usual, we took a moment to pray and read the Bible together. “As we were praying, our son Joseph rung [my husband’s] phone, and from my husband’s expression, I could tell something was terribly wrong. “My husband told me that Garissa University was under attack by armed men. I was in shock. I woke up the rest
of the family and told them that we needed to kneel down and pray. “My husband was hysterical; I had to be strong for both of us. I kept saying out loud that God would not let my son perish. “After a while we could not reach him on his phone. His father was convinced that the worst had happened. However, somewhere in my heart, I had faith that my son would make it [out] alive. “After almost three hours of waiting, hoping and praying, he called us and told us that he had managed to escape with minor injuries. “I cannot put into words how I felt knowing that he was safe and sound. I remember just thanking God and singing.” Anna’s thoughts and prayers were with the families who lost loved ones that day. “I would watch the news on TV, (continued)