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Key People: Rodgers and Grace Ade
After spending some time at Mathare Community Outreach (KEN01b), we travelled with Bishop Daniel and Rodgers Ade to the children’s home in Kariobangi. I also met Rodgers’ wife Grace at Kariobangi. Grace is the matron. Rodgers and Grace have lived at the home for more than 10 years.
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The Home is currently home for 30 children aged between 10 and 18 years old. The younger children go to the primary school on the same property as the Home. The older children go to the secondary school at Mathare.
Most of the children are referred to the Home by the government, parents, caregivers or other members of the community. The situations of the children vary – some are orphans (i.e. their parents have died from HIV or some other cause), some are from very poor families who cannot afford to look after the child, some have been abused and others are vulnerable for other reasons.
The Home is like a sanctuary within Kariobangi slum. Each time I visit I sense a change in the atmosphere as you enter through the large doors at the entrance to the Home property – the atmosphere changes from desperation and vulnerability to hope, belonging and restoration.
Most of the children have one bag (like an old suitcase) at the end of their bed. It breaks my heart to think that their whole life is contained in that bag. It breaks my heart how a 10 year old boy must feel crawling into bed at night next to 14 other boys, on bunks in the same room, with no real mum or dad – maybe they have a strong sense of belonging at the home. I hope so.
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About a month ago a fire started in the girls dormitory because of an electrical fault. The fire has decimated the girls dormitory, their mattresses, most beds and the roof. Rodgers and his family lived in that same building. No one was hurt thankfully.
After the fire the girls were moved temporarily to sleep in the church but have now been moved to the boys dormitory. The boys have taken over where Rodgers and his family lived and Rodgers’ family have moved into the office. It is a difficult situation. I am concerned, and so is Rodgers, that some of the boys have to share beds.
They have received an initial quote for repairing the building and are investigating what is involved.
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Lourine is a 21 year old girl. She lost her father when she was barely months old and five years later in the year 2003 her mother Jane passed on. At only 5 years old and living in the slums of Mathare, she was left in the hands of her sisters. At 7 years old she was rescued by Mathare Community Outreach (MCO) and placed in Kariobangi children’s home together with one of her sisters. They were a family of four girls and one brother. The other siblings were placed with relatives and MCO supported their education.
The most traumatizing part of her life is when she lost her mother who died in their house in Mathare slum. At the time she was with one of her sisters and they spent the night in the house with their dead mother. A neighbour intervened and that was when the body was removed and taken to the mortuary.
During her stay in the orphanage she received counselling and was also united back to her relatives in the rural home and to a sister she had not seen for 8 years.
Lourine lived in the home from the year 2005 until 2012, a total of 8 years. She was able to finish her primary school education successfully and joined high school at Bolo Girls Secondary School. After high school, in 2017, she joined Moriah School of Discipleship (KEN06a) for a period of six months and in September the same year was able to join Alupe University College to pursue a degree course in Hotel & Hospitality Management. She is currently in her third year.
She is a bright girl and is destined to go far. Her turning point was when she got admitted into the children’s home. She was well taken care of and later on found her bearings in life.
Musili Nduku is an 18 year old orphaned girl having lost both her parents at a tender age. She barely can recollect seeing them. She is the last born in a family comprising of three boys. They were all placed under the care of their maternal grandmother. She did her primary schooling at Kyasila Primary School in Machakos County. She excelled in her national exams but was on the brink of ending her education after finishing her primary education due to lack of school fees. The grandmother, who is only a peasant farmer, could not afford the school fees. She was referred to the orphanage by an OCC pastor in their locality.
She was admitted to Kariobangi children’s home in 2016 and was enrolled at the MCO Secondary School managed by Mathare Community Outreach. She is due to sit her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education Exams at the end of this year. She received care and protection at the children's home and her school fees have been paid for her high school education. She has also received basic care at the home including feeding, personal effects and education related support like school books.
She is a bright and disciplined girl and has the gift of a singer. At the orphanage she is in charge of environment and First Aid.
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The children in the Home have no or old school uniforms so it is obvious which kids are from the orphanage and they feel inferior. Also, when there are school trips often the home doesn’t have enough money to pay for the children to go so they miss out and again feel inferior. Sometimes when the children go home for visits they feel different from others in their family because their clothes are not as good.
Feeling different (like the above and in other ways) torments the orphans because it re-emphasizes that they have been abandoned and are not as privileged as other children.