Brethren mission workers serve alongside Nigerian group aiding refugees

Photo courtesy of Roxane and Carl Hill

Staff of CCEPI and Brethren mission workers help distribute food to refugees. Over the weekend of March 14-16, 2014, the Center for Caring, Empowerment, and Peace Initiatives served 509 refugees around the Headquarters and Kulp Bible College of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria).

By Roxane Hill

Over the weekend of March 14-16, the Center for Caring, Empowerment, and Peace Initiatives (CCEPI) served 509 refugees around the Headquarters and Kulp Bible College of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria). CCEPI distributed 4,292 articles of clothing and shoes, 2,000 kilograms of corn, along with buckets and cups.

Of the 509 people served, more than 100 had experienced the death of at least one family member. All of these people have left their homes due to attacks by the Boko Haram, an Islamist insurgent group, and many homes and churches have been burnt.

In subsequent weekends, an outpouring of funds and materials from around Nigeria has allowed CCEPI to distribute food and an additional 3,000 items of clothing, shoes, etc., to 2,225 more persons who are internally displaced due to the conflict in northern Nigeria. The volunteers for CCEPI along with the director have worked tirelessly for many hours to sort, package, and distribute the items.

Detailed records are kept of both donations received and of each family who has been helped. It was a pleasure for Carl and I to serve alongside the workers of CCEPI in this worthwhile venture.
  
CCEPI, founded in 2011, is a registered NGO (non-governmental organization) in Nigeria. Its founder, Dr. Rebecca Samuel Dali, has been working with widows, orphans, and vulnerable children for over a decade. CCEPI promotes the well-being of the poorest of the poor and seeks to empower the down-trodden.

-- Roxane and Carl Hill are serving with Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN--the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) through the Church of the Brethren Global Mission and Service.

Source: 4/8/2014 Newsline