Greetings from the Center
Dear friends, supporters, beneficiaries, and all!
We are writing to you today to review the successes, the struggles, the joy, and the pain we have experienced in the past few weeks.
Mathare Community Kitchen
With schools closed, the Mathare Community Kitchen became a necessity, offering nutritious meals to children and their families in the Mathare slums. The Mathare Kitchen serves as a way to connect with the community and explore ways to work together for the greater good. Having the go-ahead with some funding we were able to provide food and engage with the community!
In December, Alfajiri partnered with Area 52, a group of Mathare residents, to clean up Mradi in Mathare. The area that is never cleaned or tended to be worked on by our team with Area 52 to dig and remove copious amounts of garbage and carry it away in a cart to the rubbish dump. Together, we unclogged the sewer and covered an open manhole that posed a risk to the locals. It was a fulfilling event, as residents came together and volunteered their services. When they saw the difference one day’s work of cleaning and shoveling made, they were surprised and inspired. Never having the time or grace to consider such details in the rush for survival, the locals gained an understanding of preserving their environment. Next year we will be working to beautify the area in league with the residents and carry the message home.
Milestones in Education
This year, we implemented a comprehensive internal measure targeting all sponsored children and young people, focusing on their commitment on academics and parental involvement. This is due to encouraging parents to be involved and not to lean on the sponsor organization in areas of their own responsibilities. We embarked on sensitizing the parents the importance of taking more responsibilities as a parent in the lives of their children and how they can nurture and rekindle good lost relations with the children.
By doing this we are proud to share that during the quarter, we saw a changed mindset from the parents and guardians which impacted the children in the sponsorship program. All of our sponsored children have sufficient support and we always note 99% school attendance rates.
In December, we celebrated the graduation of three of our beneficiaries from college. Being the first in their families to graduate was a remarkable achievement and a testament to their hard work and determination.
Art
In November we began an exhibition of the artists work in Loresho. An up-market area of Nairobi at Wasp and Sprout Restaurant which is managed by an Australian ex pat who is supportive and involved in our work. The work looked beautiful on display; some pieces sold including a large painting of floods from the April climate catastrophe. We are planning in the coming year to make a social enterprise selling art work. Some of the paintings were printed as cards, for which also some sales occurred. There is much potential in this and we are ever grateful for the Centre which provides the space environment and opportunity to these young people to take their stories gifts and talents to the world.
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