The church and the refugee commission will work together to identify needy families and distribute the tents. Kale Hiwot Church members estimate that 40,000 people in Zoba Debub and Gash Barka are homeless due to the war. It is estimated that those numbers will rise due to an influx of people coming home to Eritrea from temporary refugee shelters in the Sudan. Providing shelter immediately is important because these regions have entered into the yearly rainy season. Nights are colder due to the rain, increasing the chance of serious respiratory illnesses that are often deadly for the poor and malnourished.
Rains also create puddles of standing water where malaria mosquitos breed.