Through the support of our sponsors, donors, and well-wishers we were able to issue food to 130 families this week. We maintained contact with students and their families through a phone call to check on their well-being.

Due to joblessness and lack of casual day labor, the crime rate has increased in some areas as the situation has become increasingly worse. Some families have been threatened by their landlords and asked to vacate their houses if they can’t afford to pay rent. 

Students spend most of their time indoors busy doing school assignments, revision studies and also helping out with simple house chores like cooking and cleaning duties. Staying indoors keeps them from negative peer pressure. Students get assignments from teachers through WhatsApp, and we help in printing out the assignments and revision materials. The children also tune in to education programs aired on local radio and television channels as they have proved to be very helpful. 

Families know they should stay indoors though this has been challenging due to congestion in the slums where there isn’t any social distancing possible and wearing of masks is not observed. Most parents/guardians have lost their jobs, but Ngong Road Children Foundation has put a smile on their face.

Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Mary Wanjiru
Senior Case Manager

The Food from Friends initiative has been going well. Today we issued 73 packs to 73 families. Most parents/guardians of children in the program have lost their jobs, therefore it is a hard and trying time for these families given the nature of their existence is a hand-to-mouth life.

On top of not being able to feed themselves, these families are now faced with the challenge of rent payment with some landlords threatening to evict. Some have received notice to vacate by the end of the month. We are working with the local authorities to help out in such cases by talking to the landlords and advising our parents to join with other tenants in the negotiations with landlords as opposed to individual negotiations.

We are working closely with our primary schools to ensure that our students continue learning from home. The schools have printed revision materials that were received by all students. In preparation for the important national exam at the end of the year, we are collaborating in an effort to ensure our candidates are well prepared. The President and the Education Cabinet Secretary have both informed citizens that the exams are still going to take place as scheduled. 

Since internet access is a challenge to our parents, most of our students are unable to access the ongoing media lessons the Education Ministry have placed on television and radio. Instead, the schools send us revision papers and marking instructions on WhatsApp. We print them and pass them on to the parents. The parents, therefore, are in charge of marking the work and helping in the revision process. 

We are glad to report that even though there are a few confirmed cases of COVID-19 within our locality (Dagoretti slum) none of our students, parents/guardians or families have tested positive. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our sponsors and supporters for the important contributions they have been giving us. Keep safe. Thank you!

Best regards,

Tunda Lepore 
Senior Case Manager
Primary Department

Ngong Road Children’s Foundation’s main priority in our COVID-19 response is to focus on family food aid. We are calling this new initiative Food from Friends. In the course of a normal April, our program provides students with breakfast and lunch each weekday while they are on break from school as well as a hearty lunch on Saturdays during Saturday Program. We are no longer conducting these programs due to the government directives on social distancing and avoiding gatherings. The children are at home with their families, many of whom are no longer working. 

We have been running the Food from Friends project where funds gathered are used to purchase food packages for families. We have approximately 300 families dependent on our program.  Each food packet contains 1 kg beans 2kg of rice, 4kg of maize flour and 500g of cooking fat. In the last two weeks, we have been able to issue food aid to around 200 families among which 72 of the neediest families have received food packets twice. 75% of our families have 3-5 people in a household and the food pack we give can only last them for a week. We are looking at being able to provide larger quantities of food that would last a family a month, thus minimizing the movements of parents coming for food aid every week.

Families that have received food have shared that they consider themselves so lucky to be part of this organization and so thankful for the food aid support.  

We thank our donors and well-wishers for your commitment to providing Food from Friends.  We are in this together and we shall overcome. Stay safe.

Kelvin Thuku
Program Manager
Ngong Road Children’s Foundation

Dear friends,

This week we are launching the “COVID-19 Updates” page on the Friends of Ngong Road website. So much is rapidly changing. Practically every moment we are trying to understand this pandemic from our own perspective and experiences and from the perspectives and experiences of others. We are adjusting to this new reality, and we are doing so together as a global community, with the realization that many of our human responses are shared.

We created “COVID-19 Updates” with the purpose of strengthening our connections. Our aim is to keep one another connected by providing updates on the well-being of our children and their families in Nairobi, as well as connecting fellow sponsors and supporters from around the globe. Here you will find timely and relevant updates on physical, emotional, nutritional, and financial issues. We will let you know what the organizations’ actions, plans and priorities are, as well as ways you can help. And, as in all communities, it’s about supporting one another. 

For the past couple weeks we’ve shared what our priorities are today; ensuring our children and their families are adequately nourished. We started by diverting resources and asking for help in supporting the Food from Friends campaign. 

We hope this page becomes the place where you can return to for continued connection, to read weekly updates, to hear, watch and read personal stories coming from Nairobi, and to discover ways you can help and be connected through the months ahead. Please visit www.ngongroad.org and click on the “COVID-19 Updates” button right in the middle of the home page. 

Having visited the program and children in Nairobi four times since 2012 as a photographer, videographer and podcaster, I have learned that we each live what we believe to be our own “normal” lives, and that some of those normals are as different as night and day. But, the lesson today’s pandemic may teach us all is we all are living a “new normal.” And wouldn’t it be wonderful if that included us being just a bit more connected, regardless of where we’re living.

Steve Kotvis
Volunteer