With Americans' eyes on the primary elections, it's easy to lose track of a presidential election a continent away. But the contested re-election of Kenyan president Mwai Kibaki and the ensuing ethnic violence have definitely affected people in North Carolina.

For the past seven years, dozens of UNC-Chapel Hill students, professors and alumni -- backed by hundreds of supporters across the United States and elsewhere -- have worked with Kenyans through a nonprofit called Carolina for Kibera. Founded by UNC students and Kenyans, CFK works with disadvantaged residents of Kibera, an ethnically diverse slum on the outskirts of Nairobi. Kibera covers an area the size of New York City's Central Park and is home to over 700,000 people.

From a small soccer program with a hundred youths representing every ethnic group in Kibera, CFK has grown to serve approximately 25,000 residents through a sports program, two medical clinics, a waste management program and a girls' center. These endeavors are led by residents of Kibera. American volunteers assist with fundraising, networking and on-the-ground program implementation.

CFK's work was put on hold after Kenya's Dec. 27 presidential election. Before the voting, the main opposition candidate, Raila Odinga, had a slight lead in the polls. But after President Kibaki was prematurely declared the winner in a small, hasty ceremony, armed men took to the streets and ethnic violence broke out. More than 300 Kenyans have since been killed.

In Kibera, tens of thousands are now homeless and with inadequate access to food. Food prices have risen sharply as the shilling continues to weaken against foreign currencies.

Although ethnic divisiveness is no stranger to Kenyan politics, no one anticipated the level of violence that has engulfed Kibera and much of the country. Although the rushed swearing-in of Kibaki caused great frustration, it is important to note that the vast majority of Kenyans have eschewed violence. Criminal opportunists are but a small part of the population, yet they have caused large-scale damage and insecurity.

Swaths of Kibera have been burned to the ground. To our knowledge, CFK staffers and volunteers have suffered only one relatively minor injury. While there are no Americans currently volunteering with CFK in Kibera, many staffers and volunteers there have had their homes burned and looted. On a more positive note, a group of Kibera residents successfully deterred a gang of thugs from burning CFK's youth center.

Because of the unrest, CFK officially suspended normal operations in late December. While some observers suggest that the post-election conflicts show the hopelessness of progress in Kenya, we who have worked with our brothers and sisters in Kibera see it differently. The violence reminds us that development depends on good governance, local leadership and effective security.

Our own effectiveness, as CFK, also depends on our ability to read and respond responsibly to events, and that is why we are concentrating on a short-term feeding program to meet the immediate needs of our friends and neighbors in Kibera. In addition, our medical clinic provides emergency care to residents.

Although those perpetrating the violence in Kibera and beyond are a small percentage of the population, the level of hatred and divisiveness throughout Kenya is unprecedented. People are afraid, and many people with means fled Kibera and other multi-ethnic communities. This ethnic divisiveness is exacerbated by rapidly increasing population, declining availability of land for farming and an increasing cost of living driven in no small part by oil prices.

As we play a role in bringing people of different ethnic communities together, we urge the leaders to play an active role in asking their supporters to put down machetes and other instruments of violence. Odinga and Kibaki should meet and discuss the way forward to ensure that there is peace in Kenya. The international community, including the United States, African Union, the European Union and the U.K., have all been involved in talks with the two men to encourage dialogue.

Even with the flawed tallying process, it is clear that both Kibaki and Odinga received the mandate of half the country. It therefore makes sense for both to cooperate in the interests of the country.

As Kenyans and the diplomatic community negotiate ways to bring the two political camps together, there is an urgent need for humanitarian assistance in Kibera and around the country. The displaced Kenyans need food, water and temporary shelter. We at CFK are committed, with the help of our donors, to providing these basic necessities so the healing process can begin.

(Rye Barcott, a 2001 UNC-Chapel Hill graduate, is founder and president of Carolina for Kibera. Joseph Nganga, a 2000 graduate of Queens University in Charlotte, is a member of the organization's Advisory Board. More on CFK and updates on new development in Kibera are at www.carolinaforkibera.org.)