Thanks to our Family Strengthening Programme in Kenya, ‘Super Gran’ Esther can now care for her five orphaned grandchildren.
When an impoverished family lost both parents, the five children (now aged 7-14) came into our care at our residential facilities in the Karundas region of Kenya, their grandmother, Esther, yearned to look after them, but did not have the resources or space at her small plot to do so.
Not only did she not have enough money to feed them, but the shack where she lived was too small to fit them all in. To make matters worse, some unscrupulous locals were trying to ‘grab’ her small plot of land where she grows some cabbages and maize (sweetcorn). As a single elderly woman, Esther is especially vulnerable to this type of thing happening.
Seeing what a loving and capable woman Esther is, Kids Alive Kenya intervened and provided a range of support interventions to empower her to care for her grandchildren. The first thing was to build her a new modest house which is large enough to fit them all in.
The team came up with a livelihood support plan, which included planting more vegetables and crops, as well as buying her a supply of chickens and showing her how to care for them, with a view to them breeding and growing her business and capacity to care for the children. This will provide an excellent inheritance for her grandchildren.
The team also provided food supplies to keep the family going while Esther waited for her new crops to grow and be harvested and the business time to develop.
Crucially, we also called in our legal team to ward off threats from the locals who were trying to grab her land. Esther hasn’t heard of seen from them since!
When we visited Esther with her Kids Alive Case Worker, Grace*, she had two of her grandchildren with her, both of whom seemed very happy with their new life, especially as they also attend a Kids Alive school nearby called Hall Mead (along with their other siblings). This remarkable school provides an outstanding education as well as additional food, trauma care if needed, Christian input, life skills, and so much more.
*When we visited our projects in Kenya, we were amazed at the quality of our Case Workers like Grace, whose job it is to oversee and set up a plan for each of the children in our care, as well as their families. They build up wonderful relationships with them, especially the children, and have remarkable bonds of trust. Underpinning all of this is the spiritual support the Case Workers provide, praying with the families at every visit, encouraging them in their faith, and putting them in touch with local churches.
It is thanks to our supporters that we are able to do this work and bless Esther and her grandchildren this way. Their story is typical of so many of the vulnerable children we care for in Kenya. So thank you to all of you who support us in any way!
“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families…” Psalm 68: 5-6
Posted on June 13th 2022
Postal address: Kids Alive International, PO Box 1529, Stamford, PE2 2YD.
Registered address: Kids Alive International, 60 Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1X 8LU
Telephone: 07873 550968 | Registered Charity: 1140641 (England & Wales)
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