Naema Celestine 
Gichuiya Nancy
Amid the destruction caused by flooding, the Ombaka evacuation center in Bondo, Kenya, serves as a ray of hope. Families found themselves uprooted, their homes flooded, and their lives turned upside down as the floods rose. They seek safety at Ombaka, where they are given tents to live in and the necessities of life, but the wounds of loss and displacement are severe.
There’s a general feeling of uncertainty about the future among Ombaka’s flood victims. Numerous people have lost both their homes and their means of support. A season’s worth of crops are swept away by the flooding of fields, leaving farmers with the unenviable task of starting again from scratch.
Children are the most vulnerable victims; they experience trauma from seeing their homes destroyed and disturbed education. Teachers try to maintain some semblance of routine in the midst of the pandemonium in the makeshift classrooms put up in the evacuation center, but the psychological effects of the tragedy are still felt.
Another urgent issue in Ombaka is healthcare. The already vulnerable population is more susceptible to the spread of waterborne infections due to the shortage of clean water and the burden on sanitation services. Medical personnel put forth a lot of effort to heal patients and stop epidemics, but funding is limited.
The Ombaka evacuation center exudes a resilient attitude in spite of its difficulties. Together, neighbors offer words of encouragement and pool their resources to support one another. In order to make sure aid reaches people who need it most, community leaders organize relief activities and communicate with NGOs and governmental bodies.
Still,
Despite limited resources, medical workers put up great effort to treat injuries and stop outbreaks.
The Ombaka evacuation center exudes a resilient attitude in spite of its difficulties. Together, neighbors offer words of encouragement and pool their resources to support one another. In order to make sure aid reaches people who need it most, community leaders organize relief activities and communicate with NGOs and governmental bodies.
But when the days stretch into weeks, frustrations increase. Numerous Ombaka flood victims bemoan the absence of prompt aid and long-term remedies to avert future disasters, feeling abandoned by the authorities. Their cries for more catastrophe preparedness and environmentally friendly infrastructure reverberate throughout the evacuation center, demanding attention and action.
Some people use Ombaka as a makeshift shelter until they can restore their lives at home. For others, however, the future holds a lot of uncertainty.They worry that if they don’t have enough means and assistance, they might become enmeshed in a cycle of destitution and uprooting themselves, leaving them open to the vagaries of nature.NGOs and humanitarian groups are essential in giving assistance and fighting for the rights of Ombaka flood victims in the face of such hardship.
These organizations provide a glimmer of hope amid the gloom by reminding the victims that they are not alone in their battle and by campaigning for governmental changes in addition to delivering food and water.
The scars of those who survived it remain as the floodwaters recede and the reconstruction effort starts. However, that being said, in Ombaka, among the debris and the ruins, there is tenacity, a sense of belonging, and a will to overcome the destruction and collectively construct a better future, chunk by chunk. Those who experienced the tragedy will always remember it
