Get to Know Us
The philosopher, Lao Tzu, once said “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”.
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I thought of this proverb on our recent visit to Kenya. We stayed at a game reserve in Samburu County in the north of the country and had pre-arranged a visit to the village of Calvary, near Archer’s Post to distribute some food, clothes and other essential items.
The community is poor and they were very grateful for the supplies. However, while we were there we realised that they lacked a ready source of water, an important requirement in a semi-arid area such as Samburu. There is a large, concrete, tank but no way of getting water to it so the people have a long walk in hot conditions to bring water to the village. It struck us that we were giving “ fish today” rather than providing something for the long term.
We could donate to Water Aid but as with other charities that we donate to you can never be sure where the funds are going. We felt that we can make a difference to this specific community, albeit in a small way, by trying to raise enough money to ensure the village has steady supply of water.
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We also visited Mama Wachira children’s home , located in the same community. The centre is run by a lovely lady named Eva, whose father had assisted those living in poverty. Since his death she has continued his work, and, with the help of others, built the current home, in 2017, on land that her father had left for this purpose.​
The home currently houses about 40 and has a capacity of 90 children. The children have varying backgrounds. Some are orphaned or neglected due to poverty. Others have been forced into arranged marriages.
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Beverly, an eleven year old girl, arrived around four months ago, having run away from such a marriage. She had travelled over 100 km and was found by a good Samaritan who took her to a police station.The police referred her to child welfare who then brought her to Mama Wachira’s children's home. This is just one of the many sad stories in the home.
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- Njeri and Tony
