The Maisha Mema Family

The Maisha Mema Family has functioned for many years as a foster home, but in March 2007 we got a "Certificate of Registration of a Charitable Children's Institution" by Ministry of Home Affairs.  We treat the children here - and we have 17 girls and 8 boys - as though they were our own children.  For the time being, we are situated in the Doonholm estate in Nairobi, but hopefully we will be able to move quite soon (see the Building Project).  The children in our family have a normal family-life, or at least as normal you can get it with such a number of children in the same family! 

We have a housemother living together with us, so that we have some help with the children (whoever wants to try to take care of so many children alone, might try…).

Of practical reasons, we have a girls' house and a boys' house. And in the third house - but on the same compound - Marianne and Jonny live.  The children take care of breakfast themselves, and get lunch at school.  In the evening, we all eat supper together.  

Tabitha is a smiling girl who is happy about living in a big family.  She is one of 25 children currently living in the Maisha Mema Family.

The bigger children some times have a Blue Cross Club led by Kwame, and we are also occasionally having gatherings with the smaller ones.  Saturday night is fellowship-time, with lots of singing - and using a very good keyboard!  Sunday morning we all go to church. 

 

These two boys were picked up in June from another children's home where they were posted temporarily.  Now they are part of the Maisha Mema family, and we welcome them for what we hope and believe will be a Better Life!  One of the older girls, just home for mid-term from Secondary school, forms a background which should also tell something important: Angels are those who do well to others.  Hereby is the challenge given to everybody reading this: Do well to others! 

 

 

 

Ready for school!  New uniform, shiny shoes, bag with books and stationary - what more can little children want?  At least in Kenya, where school really means something!

 

 

 

 

Maisha Mema = Better Life!!

Sammy joined our family in May 2007, and is one of the many children living in the Maisha Mema Children's Home. 

 

As for most families, we also try to give the children different experiences like camps, outings, swimming, sports and so on.  In December 2000, the boys even climbed Mount Kenya!  And naturally, as most parents, we hope that all of them will succeed in life, by getting good education and later good jobs.  As Christians, we also hope they will take a stand for Jesus.  It is good to have somebody beside you always! 

 

Our goal is that all the children in the program one day will be able of taking care of themselves and a family by getting good education or vocational training, and eventually a job.   

 

 

 

Two of the girls from our family ready to leave for school in January 2008: Nanu, who attends Form 2 in a boading school, and Tabitha, who just started Standard 1 in a school nearby.

We encourage people to come visiting us (check out the Guest-book!).  Our children are quite used to people from all over the world coming for shorter or longer periods.  This is also good exposure for the children, and encourages them to broaden their horizon.  Foreign, volunteer workers also come living with us for shorter or longer time (see Volunteer Information).

Going to church on Sundays, we have for 3 years now rented the same matatu ("mini-bus"), normally plying the number 58 Buru Buru route.  Although matatus are infamous for rowdy touts and drivers, we have had a very good relationship with the people manning this matatu.

On the picture, two of our children are on their way into the matatu after an outing to Uhuru Gardens.  We actually save a lot of money by not buying a vehicle of our own! (but if somebody should get an irresistable urge to buy a matatu for us, we would of course be happy!)

Outings are part and parcel of being a family.  And City Park is a popular place to go because of the monkeys!  The outings are basically happening during the vacations, as school otherwise takes most of the time for the children.  So they are always looking forward to the vacations!

Another very popular activity is of course swimming.  Children all over the world are the same here!

 

 

 

 

During holidays it is important to activate the children.  Christmas holiday is a rather long one...  But the children in our family had various activities to fill the time with, among them beadworks.  Kamau is here making a bracelet.

Check out these pages also:

Building Project

Sponsorship

 

If you want to read some stories about some of the children in our programs, look here:

Case Studies

A smile melts hearts....

 

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