Denver Catholic

13 DENVER CATHOLIC | OCTOBER 28-NOVEMBER 10, 2017 PAID ADVERTISEMENT Father Fabian Hevi and the priests from the Society of African Missions have served the Turkana people of Lodwar, Kenya, for many years. Father John Fortune has a long history in Africa too. His current outreaches serve the famous Maasai living in Ewuaso Kedong. While both men are no strangers to the challenges of running Catholic missions in Africa, neither has had to deal with anything like the current drought and famine ravaging their region of Africa, and they both feel overwhelmed by the deadly potential of the disaster. The world's news media has covered the story sparingly, but even the few facts they have shared are staggering. Approximately 20 million people have been impacted. Families are at risk of starvation. The livestock of the tribal peoples are dying in alarming numbers, and that loss will eff ectively destroy the livelihoods of families, leaving them at even greater risk. The statistics are tragic and the media's stark photos are compelling, but Fr. Fabian and Fr. Fortune have a diff erent perspective on the problem. They are addressing the disaster at a much more personal level, dealing with the suff ering families in their parishes as priests should — with understanding, compassion and a practical response that respects each individual's dignity and value. "These two men are modern-day heroes. The scale of the drought and famine is daunting, but that hasn't kept them from acting on behalf of the families in their parishes, and precious lives are being saved as a result. We consider it a privilege to stand with them and to support the food and medical outreaches they are leading in their communities," said Jim Cavnar, president of Cross Catholic Outreach, one of the leading Catholic charities supporting relief eff orts in Africa. Cross Catholic Outreach had supported other outreaches by Fr. Fabian and Fr. Fortune, and quickly came to the priests' aid when the famine became a concern. "We were monitoring the drought very carefully, and Fr. Fabian and Fr. Fortune were too. These areas are very dependent on rainy seasons, and the two priests became very alarmed when those periods passed without rain. For example, the Lodwar area hasn't had signifi cant rain in nearly a year and a half! That's disastrous. And now, people and livestock are dying as a result," Cavnar said. To address the plight of the people, Fr. Fabian and Fr. Fortune have worked with Cross Catholic Outreach to secure and distribute food and other resources in the most drought-ravaged areas. Food outposts have been established, but the group needs fi nancing to keep the aid fl owing. "I'm begging on behalf of the poor — asking American Catholics to help us fund the feeding programs Fr. Fabian and Fr. Fortune have set up," Cavnar admitted. "We have the people and structures in place to save lives, but we'll need donations to purchase and transport the food these starving families need. The next rainy season is still a few months away, and we'll lose a lot of precious people if nothing is done to sustain them between now and then." The goal of the ministry is to provide Fr. Fabian and Fr. Fortune with large food packets containing rice, cornmeal, cooking oil and other staples capable of sustaining a large family for two weeks. These would be distributed twice a month until the area's life-threatening drought conditions improve. Funding from American Catholics is needed to sponsor the food and to help with the costs of transportation within Africa. Cavnar added that prayers are also desperately needed. "We pray for rain — and for God to strengthen these poor people. The famine's impact is traumatic and families are falling into despair. As herds of goats and cows die, many men see their livelihoods vanishing before their eyes, and they are heartbroken about the impact those losses will have on their families. The priests say some of the men are even driven to consider suicide. We must pray for them and empower the area's Catholic leaders so they can instill hope in the community and restore lost souls." Catholic Priests Become Lifesavers; Providing Relief During African Famine How to Help To fund Cross Catholic Outreach's effort to help the poor worldwide, use the postage-paid brochure inserted in this newspaper or mail your gift to Cross Catholic Outreach, Dept. AC01340, PO Box 97168, Washington DC 20090-7168. If you identify a specific aid project with your gift, 100% of the proceeds will be restricted to be used for that specific project. However, if more is raised for the project than needed, funds will be redirected to other urgent needs in the ministry. RIGHT SIDE PAGE Fr. Fabian (above) and Fr. Fortune (not pictured) are supplying grains and other lifesaving commodities to poor families in hard-hit areas of Kenya.

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