MAKIMEI CHILDREN'S HOME, KENYA

Makimei Friends in Sweden and Norway supports Makimei Children’s Home in Nairobi, Kenya on a monthly basis. The orphanage has about 100 children between the ages of 0 and 22 and has been run for about 15 years by a former police officer, Mama Margareth, and her daughter, Rachael, who has training in pedagogy and child psychology. Found children are handed over by the police or the local population to the orphanage, which, like all orphanages in Kenya, must rely entirely on donations as no financial support is provided by society.

Makimei Friends was started in 2018 by Lotta and Tina, two enthusiastic Swedes, after meeting Rachael, who was the first child to be taken care of at Makimei Children’s Home. The orphanage was started in 2006 and is registered as a charity organisation in Kenya. Makimei Friends is a small steering group consisting of committed and experienced Kenya travellers who voluntarily maintain contact with the orphanage, manage information and communication with donors, and handle and convey donations.

SAS YOU ASSIST supports Makimei Children’s Home by contributing to the salary of a nurse, which makes it much easier for Rachel as the children often get sick. We have also contributed to equipment for a medical room in the new house that is being built next to the old one, which is far too small.

Rachel and Margareth never say no; they accept all children who need their help, even though they receive no financial support from the authorities. The children who have the privilege of being cared for by Makimei are fortunate. But from our perspective, the living conditions for these children are very rough. Around 40 children sleep in each dormitory (about 20 square meters in size). No child has the luxury of having their own bed. Beds are shared. And to make room for more beds, they have chosen to forgo wardrobes that take up floor space, and instead store clothes on shelves high up on the wall. They really need more space for the children and to run the business.

A welcome bit of news from the heartwarming orphanage project that we support in Nairobi Kenya: Makimei Vänner Norden, which sponsors a large part of the operation of the orphanage, managed to get another generous sponsor who guarantees that the construction of the new building for the children can be completed. Together with the donation from SAS YOU ASSIST, the construction has now taken a major step forward. The basement and first floor are finished and now they are starting on the second floor. Not so long ago, constructing a building of their own for Makimei was just a dream…

This is incredibly gratifying, as the need for bigger and better premises for the children is great. The boys will get one floor and the girls another floor. It also means that the children no longer have to share a bed. The boys sometimes sleep 4 to a bed.

New children continue to arrive at the home – children who are found on the street or in a ditch by the police or locals. The number of children is now 122, of which 79 live at the home all the time, while the older children attend boarding schools and are at the home during the holidays.

With your help, SAS YOU ASSIST has also been able to sponsor a night nurse who looks after the babies at night.