491 participate in the 2021 (virtual) Kenya Marafun

 

As the sun rose at 6.30 on Saturday morning, 26 June, the Sunshine Boys were flagged off for this year's (virtual) Kenya Marafun. It is one of the highlights of the year for the boys, and their way of helping us raise funds. Accompanied by Sunshine Centre staff, the boys raced around a 5 km course on the roads near the Centre. The boys were supported in Kenya by students and staff from Naivasha Technical Training Institue and Bishop Wambari Girl's Secondary School, bringing the total number taking part in Kenya to 435. Although visitors from other coutnries could not travel to Kenya to take part, 56 others took part in England, Wales and USA (three dogs enoyed particiating, too!). The event raised funds to pay for food, education, staff and hygiene products.

p

Have laptop, will study!

Ben Ndichu left home and went to live on the streets in 2007 when he was 10 years old, driven by poverty at home. His mother worked hard to earn enough to feed the family, but his father, who was a carpenter, was an alcoholic who contributed little but problems to his family. Ben and his four sisters and brother were unable able to go to school and lived in slum conditions.

After he left home, Ben remained on the streets of Naivasha for two years. At night he was cold, and he spent each day scavenging for food from the remains of meals thrown into dustbins by hotels. He lived in fear of being bullied by bigger street boys.

One Saturday in early 2009, as Ben was roaming the streets as usual, he approached a passer-by and begged for food. The man gave him 100 shillings (about £1) and told him to go and buy some milk and mandazi (Kenyan doughnuts), and to come back with the change and share his life story. 

Ben did as he was told. The person he was talking to was Rev Simon Kinyanjui, the director of our Sunshine street boys’ rehabilitation Centre. Having heard Ben’s story, Rev Simon offered him a place at the Centre, and once he had settled, enrolled him into the local school to resume his education. Ben loved football, and was soon a key member of the Sunshine Centre team.

He completed school in 2019, but, like most young people around the globe, Covid disrupted his education and he had to wait until February this year before commencing a vocational training course in leather and tanning technology at Kenya Industrial Training Institute in Nakuru. The photo shows him heading off to start his second terms, complete with a laptop that is essential to access on-line lessons and information.

Rise in Covid brings renewed disruption and hardship in Kenya

 - our team in Naivasha re-starts the emergency aid programme as Kenya locks down again

An emergency pack of flour, fresh vegetables, cooking oil and soap brings a smile to the face of former street boy John Mbugua as the latest Covid restrictions come into force in Kenya.

On 26th March, Kenya's President Kenyatta ordered travel restrictions across 5 major counties and closure of hospitality businesses and places of worship, coupled with a halt to all in-person learning in Kenyan schools, colleges and universities.

The former street boys we care for at our Sunshine Centre, who had just settled back into school were sent home. Their parents, many of whom have lost their sources of income because of the restrictions, faced the impossible burden of feeding their boys for at least 7 weeks until the restrictions ease.

Our team in Naivasha immediately re-started the emergency aid programme which was so successful last year in keeping the boys and their families well-fed, and ensuring the boys stayed at home rather than drifting back into street life. 

Mastin, Achaya, Nelson, Mary and Augustine safely home in Kinamba with their emergency food and hygiene pack.

In April, our team reached 112 families with emergency packs, a total of 678 individual beneficiaries. We increased the size of the packs to try to make them last until the Covid restrictions are lifted.

Our school kitchen was pulled down when the road was widened

 Most of the children who come to Church on the Rock School live in narrow streets of tiny one- or two-roomed houses made of corrugated iron sheets. There is no piped water, and most have no electricity. The school meals we fund boost the children's health and encourage the children to come to school to learn.

School director Ruth Ndetei reports on how the first term of the 'new normal' is going:

The children are enjoying their meals at school. I took the photos on two different days - during the rice meal day and the "githeri" (beans and maize) day. As you can see, we have a new cook. Her name is Josephine Nyambega, and she is also a parent at the school.

We are preparing the meals from our office upstairs and serving them in the classrooms because our kitchen was pulled down due to road expansion. The compound is a little smaller, but we only lost the kitchen and the small classroom that was next to the road.

Thank you for your support. At the moment we have a total of 330 pupils at the school, and the meals are a great help to the children. Please let your donors know that the donations they give are making a big difference. God bless. 

I'm safe...I'm at university

 

The disadvantaged young people we support in Kenya have stayed safe during the Covid crisis. As universities, colleges and schools re-open, they are now re-starting lives which have been on hold during the lockdown.

Mike Okwara has taken a big step on from the Tumaini Children's Home in Mombasa to study computer science at Chuka University (photo above left).

Former street boy Samuel Njoroge (right), started his purchasing management course at Taita Taveta University while Eric Chege (middle) was thankful he could at last resume his interrupted economics and statistics course at South Eastern University.

Read more in our Jan 2021 newsletter....

Christmas aid packs for families in Nairobi slums

 

When the Kenya government closed all schools in March to combat Covid, the 350 students at Church on the Rock School in Nairobi's kwa Reuben slum no longer had access to their free school meals.

For many poor families living in this informal settlement, school lunches were their main meal for the day. With no end to the schools closure in sight, we launched an emergency aid plan in August last year to help 100 of the poorest families, and to support the teachers who were going without pay.

With the school scheduled to reopen in January, the final round of monthly packs was issued on 23rd December, in time to bring smiles to the faces of the children (and their parents) for Christmas.

Over a period of 6 months, the staff at the school issued 529 packs, helping keep the children healthy and ready to return to school.

Grace's dream is back on track

Ever since leaving the care of our Tumaini Children's Home, Grace has wanted to be a teacher. But her dreams were put on hold when Covid 19 shut down schools and her Early Childhod Development and Education course was suspended.    

But she is happy now that she has been able to resume her studies (complete with obligatory face mask!). She has one more year to go before she realises her dream of teaching reception year children. 

Peter Mutegi, a former street boy from our Sunshine Centre, is keeping himself busy working on construction sites while he waits for his school to re-open. The soap from his family aid pack comes in handy for washing his dirty clothes.

Peter says: "Thank you for the help my family have received since March - this includes me, my three brothers and my mum.

Every month we have been receiving flour, maize, porridge, beans, cooking oil, soap, and recently, reusable face masks.

Asante sana (thank you very much) and may God bless all who have been assisting us"

Once I lived on the streets - now I am a telecoms executive

A 'good news' WhatsApp message from Kelvin Otieno - a former street boy who came to the Sunshine Centre in 2007:

"I am happy to tell you that I was taken on with Safaricom (Kenya's leading telecoms company) after my internship. And I recommended Edward Makori from the Sunshine Centre to have my previous job as an accountant. He was taken on and we both now have jobs. Thank to the Almighty God!"

Emergency aid programme extended to 108 families in the kwa Reuben slum, Nairobi

 

We extended our emergency aid programme to include 108 families in the kwa Reuben slum. School directors Bernard and Ruth Ndetei (photo below left) reported: "This was a timely rescue for families that were on the verge of starvation and / or exposure to Covid 19 owing to the challenge of having to move around seeking something to eat, with no regard for Covid 19 precautionary measures." In each emergency pack we provided essentials such as maize, beans, flour, cooking oil and soap. Bernard and Ruth said, "The joy on the faces of the families and staff is obvious from the photos. We would like to thank everyone who went out of their way to help us in these uniquely difficult times.  Subject to availability of resources, we would like to continue supporting other families because the need for this in our community is very pressing."

Safe, well-fed, and off the streets!

Mishek and Samson are smiling because they know they have enough food for their family for a month.

The two former street boys are having to stay at home as part of Kenya's lockdown measures to combat Covid 19, but their mother struggles to cope (which is why they went to the streets in the first place.

We have been providing the boys and their families (and 140 more from our Sunshine Centre), with emergency aid since the end of March. And we have been helping people in the community made vulnerable because they have lost their jobs or seen their income drop.

In total, we have we have been able to reach out with emergency aid to over 1,200 beneficiaries from 150 families, and have supplied nearly 100,000 litres of free, clean water to vulnerable families.

A wave of aid

Former street boy Peter Kariuki - still smiling despite the coronavirus crisis

Current situation in Kenya

The reported number of cases of Covid 19 in Kenya remains low, although continuing to rise. The lockdown continues. With schools closed and travel restrictions in place, many people continue to suffer the economic impact of the crisis.

In Naivasha, the situation is dire with flower farms and hotels still closed. These are the two main sources of employment in this lakeside town. Informal businesses such salons, barbershops and quarries have also seen reduced trade.
 

In response, our team in Naivasha has continued to provide emergency aid to the families of our street boys, and members of the local community who are struggling because of the crisis. 

Sunshine street boys’ rehabilitation Centre, Naivasha

Our (former) street boys have left the Sunshine Centre to live with their families, and are therefore back in the conditions that drove them to the streets in the first place.

During May, the Sunshine Centre team distributed another round of emergency packs to all of our boys and their families. 

Each pack contained 10 kg of beans, 10 kg of maize, 2 kg of rice, 24 kg of maize meal, 3 litres of cooking oil and 4 large bars of soap, supplemented with spinach and kale from the Sunshine Centre farm. The team organised transport to ensure that the heavy emergency packs reached the families’ homes safely. 

In total we reached 131 families, a total of 795 beneficiaries (we are helping the whole family, not just ‘our’ Sunshine Boy). 

Fighting back against coronavirus

Food and facemasks:

fighting the impact of coronavirus

Current situation in Kenya

The reported number of Covid 19 cases in Kenya is low but rising. The main impact to date has been economic hardship as a result of the collapse of tourism, and the closure of hotels and flower farms which employ tens of thousands of people.

The poorest are being hit the hardest. Mothers who earned a small amount packing vegetables and doing washing report that their earnings have dried up because of social distancing measures. Fathers who do casual work at quarries report that their earnings have dropped as construction slows down.

Here is a brief update on how we are using the resources we have to fight back against the impact of the pandemic.

Sunshine street boys’ rehabilitation Centre, Naivasha

Almost all our (former) street boys have left the Sunshine Centre to live with their families, and are therefore back in the conditions that drove them to the streets in the first place (our staff are looking after those that have no relatives).

The Sunshine Centre team launched a massive effort to get emergency aid packs to each family, providing them with food and soap, and reassuring them that they are not forgotten.

Over a period of 4 days, the Sunshine Centre team supplied emergency packs to 100 families, helping a total of 602 beneficiaries (we are helping the whole family, not just 'our' Sunshine Boy).

Photo top: Emergency packs ready for distribution
Middle left: A mother loads her emergency pack into the matatau (minibus) provided to take her home safely
Middle right: Mama Chege hands over an emergency pack to Sunshine Boy Victor Ochieng and his family.
Bottom left: The beneficiaries received advice on hygiene and social distancing, and prayers for safe-keeping led by pastor Joseph.
Bottom right: Sunshine Boy Joseph Thumbi at home and thankful for the family's emergency pack 

Covid 19 emergency plan kicks in

Emergency food delivery starts

In response to the Covid 19 pandemic, the Kenya government has closed schools and told children's homes to send children back to families where they have them.

Our (former) street boys have now gone home, but this has simply put them back into the conditions of poverty that drove them to the streets in the first place.

Our Sunshine team have developed an emergency plan which kicked off with deliveries of food and soap to the most vulnerable families.

To read more, read our latest newsletter. 

Look how far I have come!

Joseph Njuguna holds up a photo of himself taken in 2004. "Look how far I have come," he says with a huge smile on his face.

Joseph lived on the streets of Naivasha and was one of the first boys to come to our Sunshine Centre when it opened in 2004.

He has just finished his electrical engineering course, and is now doing some casual work while searching for a permanent job.

The photo on the laptop was taken on the day he arrived at the Sunshine Centre. While he  was on the streets he had been stoned by a hostile mob who had (falsely) accused him of stealing a phone. “I cannot imagine where I would be now if I had not come to the Sunshine Centre. Thank you for helping me.”

Record number of (former) street boys make it to high school

For a boy living on the street, going to school is an impossible dream. But for the former street boys join the Sunshine Centre, that distant dream becomes a reality.

This year 15 of the Sunshine Boys successfully completed their national primary exams (KCPE) and started at high schools in various locations in Kenya. The boys remain part of the Sunshine family and we continue to support and encourage them as they take this next big step in the process of transforming their lives.

Dreams come true at Sunshine

Edward Makori has achieved his childhood ambition of graduating from university.

In December he was awarded his BA in Economics from Masai Mara University, the end-result of years of hard work.

But when he was living on the streets of Naivasha, this was a distant dream.

"For lots of reasons, my mother couldn't look after me and I went to live on the streets. I slept under verandas, in tunnels and under bushes. Life was very dangerous and I started to steal. It was very risky because if I caught, I could be stoned to death. I wanted to go back to school, and shared my dream with my friends. Some laughed at me, but others encouraged me not to lose hope."

On 2nd June, 2004, Edward was admitted to the Sunshine Centre (lower photo) where we have cared for him ever since. on 20th December 2019, he graduated (topn photo). 

"I thank God for His grace and Sunshine for giving me a second chance to prove myself. I also thank everyone who has partnered with Sunshine in supporting me to where I am today. May God bless them abundantly."

Jael is a high flyer!

"Today was the happiest day of my life." This was the message from Jael following her graduation from college in November.

Jael was one of the first group of orphaned children who came into our Sunshine Centre when it opened. When she left school, she learned hairdressing and beauty before deciding to take airline cabin crew training at Mombasa Aviation College.

She has completed her course and, as her graduation photo shows, she is very happy to be qualified to fly!

Francis runs a unique welding business

Francis Kamau dropped out of school and drifted onto the streets of Naivasha in 2007. The youngest of six children, his family was very poor and his decision was driven by the poverty he experienced at home.

On the streets he spent his time ferrying loads for a few shillings, and collecting scrap metal to sell.

In January 2008 he was rescued by Sunshine staff and admitted to the Centre for care and support. When he had settled, he joined class 8 of Karai Primary School, before moving on to train as a welder at Naivasha Polytechnic.

He qualified well, and was employed at several different welding workshops in Naivasha before taking the ambitious step of setting up his own business in the Mwiki area of Nairobi in 2012.

In 2014, Footsteps trustees visited Francis to see how his new business was going. We were pleased to find he had lots of customers, but he told us that his welding machine kept breaking down, causing a delay to the completion of their orders. We immediately decided to invest in a new machine to help him.

He has continued to work with great skill and passion, building up his Unique Welding Workshop business, and now has a wife and young son.

But Francis has an ambition to build more than a successful business. He wants to repay the support he received from Sunshine by employing former street boys.

In August 2018, Joseph Thiong’o and Peter Gathoga joined his business, even before they had graduated as welders in May 2019 (photo right).

When we visited Francis in October, we were delighted to hear him describe his dream of repaying the investment we made in him in this unique way!

My bags are packed and I'm ready to go...

Eric Chege has packed his bags and is ready to go...to university.

If he had even dreamed of this happening when he lived on the streets, he would have thought he was going mad! He was out of school and scavenging on the streets for food, with no hope for a better future.

Poverty at home led Eric to migrate to the streets when he was just 8 years old, but his life changed when a staff member from the Sunshine Centre met him and asked him if he wanted a home and to go back to school. He accepted the offer, and it was a turning point in his life.

This month he set off from the Sunshine Centre to join South-eastern University in Kitui (6 hours journey away) to start his degree course in Economics and Statistics.

Once he has graduated, Eric will have a bright future ahead of him - a far cry from when he lived on the streets.

Sunshine leavers celebration

As the end of the academic year approaches, the Sunshine Centre staff organised a leavers' celebration to equip our former street boys for their next step in life.

During an emotional day, the boys were given professional advice on how to manage job interviews, they were reminded of the importance of living their lives God's way, and they formed themselves into an alumni group  to encourage each other.

Many of the boys have been with us since they were rescued from the streets in 2004 when the Sunshine Centre first opened.

Now, as young adults they are fully equipped to move into the world of work, knowing that the Sunshine staff and their Sunshine brothers are still with them for help and advice.

One aim of the newly formed alumni group is to come back to talk to and encourage the younger boys who are still at the Centre. They are compelling role models that show what a street boy can achieve!