Feeding Program

These plastic cups are what they use to serve the porridge in each morning. And I complain about doing the dishes for my family of 4...in a dishwasher! Life in Mathare puts things firmly back in perspective.

When Mary Kamau started the school in 2000, she found that the children were having a difficult time concentrating. They were hungry because their parents/guardians did not have enough money to feed the kids every day. She began to feed the 50 children that attended the school then. As the schools and enrollment grew, so did the feeding program. I spoke with many parents about having their children enrolled at the Missions of Hope schools. They were thrilled that their children were receiving such a valuable education, but more immediately they were thankful that the kids were fed, clothed, and well cared for. These pictures are from the Pangani Center. They feed about 1000 kids each day. They receive porridge in the morning, a huge lunch, and a small snack before they go home for the day.

Preparing enough "sukuma wiki"(collard greens) for 1000.

Pouring in maize meal to make 'ugali' (kind of like thick polenta) to serve with the sukuma.

The biggest stress for a parent in the slums is how to care for the children in their homes. I met one man named Gerishom. He has 4 children, but is guardian to 10 other children. Some of them are his nieces and nephews, others were found abandoned and he couldn't walk away. He often goes without eating so that the children in his care can eat. It becomes easy to understand why he would be grateful for a school that costs very little money for him, but provides for the kids' basic needs through sponsors in the U.S. Not all his children are enrolled in the school. 5 are in school, 5 are on the waiting list, 1 is too old, and 3 are too young. His story seems extraordinary to us, but it is very typical among the parents in Mathare.

Do you see how HUGE the servings are? These little kids eat every last bite! Nothing goes to waste.