Give A Child Life

Enough to Eat

Over the past few weeks, infant care in Kiandutu has taken a new turn. Two days ago infants between six and twelve months old began receiving a hot, nourishing daily meal...courtesy of GCL friends like you. In homes where mothers scrape by on odds and ends and a decent meal is hard to find, the right nutrition can make a huge difference. Chronic hunger at this age affects brain development; lack of sufficient food can make it hard for a child to ever learn or control emotions like anger.

Starting this week, GCL is providing meals to infants at three day care centers. We're also fixing hot meals for young children brought by their mothers to a central location. The goal is for every young child in Kiandutu to have enough to eat.

 Debbie

Looking For Her Children

This just in from Kiandutu, Kenya....

 

Last week on Wednesday, 9th May 2012, three of Bernice Wagui's children got lost while at their home inKiandutu. Dennis (11 years) together with Dorothy and Harriet were playing outside with their neighbor's children. The neighbor kid, also about 12 yrs old,suggested that they go visit his dad. Dennis did not hesitate and the sisters followed him. They boarded a matatu along the Thika - Garrissa road and headed for Kitui several kilometers from Thika.

When night came, Bernice started looking for her children with no luck. She spent the night worried. The next day, the dad of the neighbor's kid called from Kitui saying the children had arrived safely. GCL provided busfare to Bernice (kshs.1000/-) to go find her children. That night the village elder Gerald called to inform me that they are back in Kiandutu.

It is still a mystery how such young children boarded a matatu with no busfare and traveled many miles. Bernice is thankful that at least she found her children-though hungry and unkempt- she says she has learned a great lesson from the incident.

Carol

Kiandutu Program Manager

Now Allen Knows His Way Home

Remember Allen, the first boy we rescued from Kiandutu? A few weeks ago, he returned to his grandmother's. After living in a Center with electricity, clean clothes and lots of other children to play with, being with his grandmother and family again was an adjustment. Give A Child Life sent Allen to nursery school and here's what happened....the poor boy got lost four times. Once he disappeared for the entire day. Someone finally took him to the police post at night. In the slums, "streets" are only mud paths that wander among the houses. For a child trying to find his way from home to school and back again, there are no clear markers. Who would have anticipated this? Now Allen knows his way home. And he won't get lost again.

 

Debbie

 

Mother Running Small Businesses.

Yesterday I received the first batch of ledgers from mothers running the small businesses in Kiandutu. A few weeks ago, I spent my last afternoon there helping set up the accounts so they could track their expenses, income and profit. This was a new concept for most of the women, all of whom ran businesses such as selling handfuls of vegetables or candy or pairs of rubber shoes on the street. The one who "got it" best was Zipporah. Her ledger was almost perfect, aside from one math error and a lack of detail for the expenses. But my heart broke when I looked at her profit. For the first two weeks of January, she sold about $20 worth of spinach, $11 worth of mangoes and $10 worth of cabbage. Overall, she took in $66. Buying the food to sell cost her $50. She had a net gain of about $16.

 We're going to keep working with the women and help them track what works best and what doesn't. If you'd like to help, let us know.

Debbie

 

Allan is Now Back With His Family!

 

Note: Three years ago, Give A Child Life found Allan near death at his grandmother's home. With his grandmother carrying him, we took him to a center where he could stay and get food, medicine and other help. Carol, the GCLK program director in Kiandutu, recently updated us on  what happened last weekend.

Baby Allan is reunited back with his family!

News from the elders at Kiandutu came on Monday that baby Allan has been brought back home.

Yesterday I visited Allan at his grandmother's house – Zabina Zaumu- and found him playing with his toy car. He had been bonding with the grandmother and he was so happy though he left the place while still so young.

He is a happy, healthy baby!!

GCL K will continue to assist Allan now that he is back with his family. He will be joining Kiandutu Juniors School nursery level.

Carol

Just Arrived in Nairobi, Kenya!

What a great way to start the New Year! I just arrived in Nairobi from Los Angeles. This afternoon Charity, Carol and I met with the village elders in Kiandutu, as we do on each of my trips. They were so grateful for what we are doing for their young children. The highlight of the afternoon were remarks by the government's Assistant Chief for Kiandutu--George Muniu. He said, "Your organization has been a great help. Before children would go for days without food. Today if a child is spending a night without a meal, it's only because the parent has not asked for help."

We are making a difference for the little ones here--thanks to caring people like you.

Debbie 

The Story of Bernice.

Bernice is a new arrival in Kiandutu. She has five children: a baby, a toddler, a five-year-old, a seven-year-old and an 11-year old. Until recently, Bernice and the children lived with her husband on the other side of town. He had a stable job and they were happy. But then he committed a crime and went to prison. At the time, Bernice was pregnant, and she was dismayed that he’d done this to the family.  

She moved to Kiandutu to start over. But she had to care for a one-year-old and couldn't look for a job. Then she had the baby, who is now only a month old. The family of six lives in a small, dirty room with no furniture, bedding or utensils. Bernice hasn't been able to pay the rent for a while.

During a visit by GCL staff, the children fought over a very small portion of ugali flour...they are very hungry.

Though Bernice is tired and struggles desperately to make ends meet, she says, “I have seen and gone through so much, but I do not feel sorry for myself. I live each day at a time with my children.” What she wants most is food and child care for her young ones, so she can work to get back on her feet. 

From Carol, the GCL Kiandutu Program Director 

 

The Story of Mercy Wangare.

Some might consider Mercy Wangare a lucky mother. Nearly every time she gave birth, she had either triplets or twins. But for someone living on a razor thin margin of survival, this was devastating. She was sick and weak, and struggled desperately to care for six children, all under six years old.

After she gave birth to the twins, she bled so much that she became anemic and was in and out of the hospital until she passed away last June.

Two days after her husband buried Mercy, he gave the three youngest children away to strangers. He kept the oldest three, who could assist with household chores though they were still only five years old. Relatives found out and immediately went to collect the children. Mercy’s sister Martha took them in. She has five children of her own, is unemployed, and only went to school through the sixth grade.

Two of Mercy’s children are malnourished and at only 18 months already suffer developmental delays.  They cannot walk, can barely crawl and have delayed speech. But Martha is determined that these children will not be raised by strangers while she still alive. She says she will fight for them like her own… with or without resources.

She recently learned of Give A Child Life's work in Kiandutu and approached the village elders for help. GCL provided her with emergency food and instructed her to take the infants to the hospital for medical treatment. We are working on a long-term plan to help them. 

Thank you for your contributions...we did it!

This morning Give A Child Life distributed food and supplies to 30 families with young children who had lost everything in the recent Kiandutu fire. Each family received 5 lb. bags of flour, porridge and beans as well as basic kitchen utensils. Originally, we’d planned on providing blankets, but many were donated, so the families needed cooking supplies more.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to provide relief to these fire victims. With $475 in donations, we were able to help all thirty of the families we’d identified. Thanks to your support, they will enjoy a few warm meals and can begin rebuilding what they’ve lost. 

Raging Fire Through the Slum of Kiandutu.

A few days ago, a fire raged through the slum of Kiandutu. Over the course of six hours, it burned 150 homes and about 50 shacks that served as small shops. Three people were injured as community members struggled to put out the flames. The Thika Municipal fire engines were of little use, as the slum has no access roads.

Give A Child Life is in the process of collecting more information about this disaster. According to village elders, none of the families in our program were affected directly. But many others with young children lost their homes and all their belongings. They salvaged nothing and were left only with the clothes on their backs. A representative from the Red Cross said that these families need shelter, food, mattresses, blankets, mosquito nets, cooking utensils and clothes.  We are committed to providing emergency food to the families with young children who need it most.