John Bergen, 70, and his wife, Eliose, 66 went to Kenya in March with a volunteer organization, Hope for the Nations. Their job in Kitale was to teach, build and grow food for local children. They sold most of what they owned in Canada to go to Africa.
(Different news agencies are giving different ages of the couple)

5 men and 2 women came into the Hope for the Nations compound in the Mount Elgon region and attacked them. John Bergen from Vernon BC was badly beaten, with a broken knee, leg, jaw, arms and skull. His US born wife, a retired music teacher was raped and beaten.

“We realize there’s good and bad in Africa, just like there’s good and bad in Canada,” John Bergen told CBC News from his hospital bed on Friday. “We’ll try to reach the bad as well as the good. What else can you do?”

Seven people have been arrested in their beating, including two security guards hired to protect the fenced-in compound where the couple live in the volatile region of Mount Elgon. Police are still hunting for four suspects and have not disclosed any information about a motive for the attack.

The Bergens say they suspect their attackers may have been connected to some security guards they recently fired and may have been seeking revenge. Theft was also likely a motive since the couple’s laptop and cash were stolen during the attack.

The attack came in the evening. Although tied up, Mrs. Bergen freed herself, found her husband in bushes, dragged him to their truck and drove 20 minutes to the Kenyan Hope for the Nations headquarters. They are recovering in a Nairobi hospital. Their four children are collecting money for the air fare needed to bring their parents home for continued medical treatment.

Vernon News

The Mount Elgon region is in turmoil, thousands of residents have been displaced, civilians are being murdered in a political clash which began in 2006 between the Kenyan government forces and Sabaot Land Defence Force over land allocation.

Doctors without Borders have been working to provide basic medical assistance, their staff has also been attacked, Kenyans are being mutilated, beaten, starved, raped, robbed and terrorized and lack basic necessities such as shelter and food. MSF teams treated 293 victims of violent trauma between January 1st and April 15th 2008. Of those, 252 people received care between March 10th and April 14th alone. Since then MSF has treated another 65 victims of violent trauma.

http://Mount Elgon: Does Anybody Care? (.pdf)

Hope for the Nations