At the time of writing (9th October) 40,178 people in Kenya have tested positive for Coronavirus and sadly 751 people have passed away. The Kenyan Government have implemented various lockdown and social distancing measures, however, should the virus spread on a greater scale it is a huge concern that the health system, particularly in rural areas, will struggle to cope.
All schools, colleges and universities were closed between March and September, with a handful now slowly starting to re-open. The children we support rely on school meals and so with many of them still at home their families are struggling to afford food. Most of the parents/guardians depend on casual work which is typically on a local farm earning £1.50 – £2 per day. The COVID-19 situation has meant that this work is not readily available and so many have no income.
Thanks to the support of many people we have been able to provide the families we support with food and essential items throughout the pandemic. We have done this by remotely placing orders at small shops across the country, paying electronically via Mpesa and asking one person from each family to collect th
e items. Items include rice, beans, maize, vegetables, sugar, tea leaves, cooking oil, cereal, flour, soap and hand wash and also seeds and fertiliser for growing food.
To date we have been able to supply 80 families with a total of 8,946 days worth of support since the end of March. This has been possible thanks to a combination of donations, our Globe Run series and amazing monthly child sponsors. However, with colleges and universities reopening and specific school year groups resuming in October, school fees are required and we therefore do not have the funds to continue this food/essential item support. With your help we would love to provide the 80 families with food up to the end of October. This will cost an average of £20 per family. Any donation no matter how small will make a huge difference.
Our August 2020 volunteer house building trip and various fundraising events such as our Ladies Lunch, GEF Dinner and Quizzes have been postponed until further notice. More than ever we are grateful to and reliant on everyone who sponsors a child with us.
Tuko pamjo na tutapitia hii – ‘We are together and we will get through this’
