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."