Real Hope for Vulnerable Children
Posted on by minkefamily
On August 15th we went to visit the staff and children at Real Hope Youth Community Organization (RHYCO) http://www.realhopekenya.org/hope/ in Kawangware slum in Nairobi.
As you can imagine, growing up in a slum has many challenges. Children in the slums are often left playing in the streets and fending for themselves as their parents fight to survive by getting enough money for the day to eat or provide at least one meal. These children are often left out of education systems. They lack learning opportunities and healthy community, eat maybe once a day and have unstable home environments. Children living on the streets are at high risk of becoming addicted to alcohol and drugs, being abused and being exploited.
Real Hope has been operating since 2014 in response to the growing problem of street children in Nairobi. The team that leads this ministry is dynamic and energetic as well as compassionate and wise. They themselves grew up on the streets and over the years have found ways to get out, heal and now help others in similar situations. We were connected to this ministry through our partnership with International Needs Canada and International Needs Uganda who our church partners with. I had the distinct privilege of briefly visiting this ministry back in 2019 on my way to Uganda with the Director of IN Canada.
As we were coming to Kenya for this trip I knew our family had to visit RHYCO and we were not disappointed! We loved our time at this very special drop-in centre. As soon as we entered we were welcomed with exuberant hugs and smiles. Nothing says ‘welcome’ better than kids running up to you and smothering you with hugs!
Once the welcomes slowed we were brought into a brightly painted lounge area to get a bit of orientation and history from Martha, the Program Manager.
RHYCO started with casual mentorship between staff and vulnerable kids that later turned to youth economic empowerment. Kids were given a new start with car washing equipment and mentoring. Martha, Buba, Kevin and John all brought their own life experiences and lessons to build this great team. As they grew and gained the support of organizations like International Needs Canada they were able to become more sustainable in their ministry and create more opportunities for getting or keeping at-risk kids off the streets of Nairobi.
During our orientation it was sobering to hear the stories of some of the kids and to hear how the Pandemic made everything worse for an already difficult situation. As Covid hit, the government shut down schools, churches and reception centers such as RHYCO. Fear struck many who were fostering the kids who had been placed in their care from the centre as they felt they would lose their jobs and be unable to provide for their own families. Some kids were ‘sent back’ or returned from their foster homes; abuse increased and soon the staff were scrambling to help these kids they had worked so hard to help.
The dream of a safe house finally was pushed into reality out of necessity and in 2021 they opened the doors to the safe house. Today there are 33 kids living in the safe house (typically for a few months to a few years as a transition to a safe family home) and a total of 115 kids who are now enjoying the benefits of being in the program.
Through Real Hope they all receive education support which included getting the kids back into school and supporting them with homework clubs, warm, solid meals and a place to clean up and sleep (either the safe house or a foster home). Of course the biggest and most meaningful part of the program is the love and support they receive as they are part of this community. A place where there is joy, hope and faith in Jesus. Kids here have a chance to heal, to dream, to walk the path to become healthy adults.
So, a typical day for the kids in the non-residential program is they come to the centre early in the morning to receive breakfast before school and if needed a place to shower and get ready for the school day. Then, they go to a local school just like any other kid and return to the centre after school. At that time they receive tutoring and help with homework, psychological support, a place to wash their school uniform, and of course a safe and fun place to simply be a kid. They stay through supper and then with a full belly and homework done they go home for bed. They sleep either at the safe house, their foster home or their own home if it is safe and stable enough. Note the burden for parents/foster parents is minimal as the meals and hard work is already done at the centre.
After our orientation, Martha took us on a tour of the compound and introduced us more formally to the kids. In order to protect the kids we won’t show the faces of individual children). We started at the Joyful Hearts Centre which was so special. This is a wing of RHYCO that ministers to some of the most vulnerable children and families in all of Kenya. They seek to support kids (and their parents) who suffer from Cerebral Palsy. It was sobering for sure to start the tour here. But at the same time there was such joy in the room. The kids were full of smiles and it was such and honor to meet them and be able to interact with them.
Joyful Hearts Centre is led by a passionate woman Lillian and supported by a group of ‘angels’ that come from local hospitals and volunteer their time to care for these kids.
This gives parents the peace of mind knowing their kids are being cared for and it allows the parents to go to work. While at the centre the children are helped in various ways to move forward in their lives. For some this means getting potty trained so they can stop depending on expensive diapers. For some they may be able to start walking or be able to have improved communication. The children are fed, surrounded with love and given technical supports through massage and physical therapy as well as different kinds of training. It is a rare gem in a very hard place.
These kids are born into a society that doesn’t make much room for them and if anything fears them. Many are believed to be cursed so they are neglected or ostracized. While there we heard of one landlord who was kicking out one of these families out of fear that the family carried with it a curse. These harsh, traditional beliefs compound and already difficult situation for these kids.
Moving on from Joyful Hearts we saw the homework classrooms in action. They have a very cool lego wall for the younger kids and a few computers for the older ones.
Housed in one of these rooms is also their ‘head puppets’ which they wear out in the community during special events to share messages of hope and life and to talk about the rights of children.
Down the hall we saw the boys and girls dorm rooms that make up the safe house, which are simple but cozy and clean (pictured earlier).
Next, we saw the dining room which is also a multipurpose room with a tv and games. Then, the simple but effective kitchen where huge meals are prepared by the house mothers and assisted by the kids, which helps them to gain critical life skills.
We saw the important counseling room where many group sessions take place on the road to healing, then the staff office and the guest room which is always open to anyone who would like to come and volunteer their services.
On the opposite side of the compound is the playground, which has a lot going on in a small space, then the bathrooms and toilets and finally the place where they keep their animals.
They are raising rabbits, chickens, ducks and turkeys as a small economic development plan.
Speaking of animals, I haven’t yet mentioned, they had 3 ‘therapy’ dogs that run around the compound giving love- Sky, Nairobi and Trappy.
They use every part of their land for serving the needs of these kids. There is running water, electricity and the space is clean. Every inch of this place is brightly painted with fun murals and used for speaking encouragement to the kids or conveying joy!
After our tour, the time had come that Makena (and all of us) had longed for, time to be with the kids! It wasn’t hard at all to get into the groove there. There are swings, slides and a small merry-go-round as well as the open space that also acts as their parking lot.Makena dove in, I was super proud of her!
If you could imagine a hundred kids all playing the same games in a small space and no one was fighting, pushing, bullying. They were working together looking after each other.
We happened to bring a few things to give to the centre and one was a game where you toss a tennis ball and then it is ‘caught’ by attaching to a small Velcro paddle you strap to your hand. It really isn’t a group game but as soon as Makena started using it with a few kids the whole group organized themselves and started taking turns. Their behaviour was impeccable. There is such a warm and respectful community here!
As you can imagine, Samara was a big hit, everyone thought she was so cute and beautiful. I had her strapped on me for part of our visit and she was a little magnet for me having all the kids and staff come and say hi.
We really enjoyed our day at the centre. It was super fun to take part in the group games that were different from games our kids would play at home and they were so inclusive. I think our favorite was one where the group is dancing around and singing and then the leader would call out a number or action such as ‘gather into groups of 5’ and everyone has to run and get into groups of 5 as quick as possible. It provides more than just fun, it is healthy movement and touch as well as connection so I really liked the game.
Something we were able to offer was the gift of photography. We brought a polaroid and were able to take photos and give them to them instantly which was a hit. The team created a number of groups and activities and Makena and I went around and took the pictures, she took the polaroid and I took a high-quality pic to share later. It gave us a chance to spend a little time with every person there, which I loved!
The final and most special part of this day was meeting our newest sponsored child.
She is 6 years old and comes from a difficult home life. She is still pretty new at the Real Hope centre but it was clear she was finding comfort in being part of a great community and she will be well cared for. We had some time with her (she was very shy) and were also able to meet her mom and spend some time speaking into her with words of encouragement and truth. We ended our visit with them with a prayer.
Next it was time to say goodbye. All the kids gathered and sang a goodbye song and we prayed together. It was so sweet and such nice touch to end such a full and wonderful day!
That is Part 1 about our time at the Real Hope drop-in centre. Part 2 we will share about our 3 home visits with Real Hope which took place the following week!
