Tuesday 5 December 2017

The Hand That Giveth...



You can see the tears dancing at the brim of her eyes as she narrates their ordeal. What they have gone through the past year. And it honestly takes all I got to keep it together.  The thought of the much suffering these kids have had to endure. As if life has not already been hard enough for them. We are seated on plastic chairs and some wooden desks at the church compound. All eyes on her and some averted, to hide the tears threatening to cascade down their cheeks. This church compound is the current home for the 30 or so kids under the care of Mum Ruth. She's the administrator of Wings of a Dove Children Home, formerly Stars of Hope. You can see she's trying her best to hold her tears back, (maybe because she wouldn't want the kids to see her shed tears. She is after all, their hope) as she explains to us how Stars of Hope came to be Wings of a Dove and what they've had to endure. How they found themselves sleeping on the floor of a church. Her and her kids.

"Wings of a dove was originally called Stars of Hope Community Centre." She starts (I remember this name coz I've seen them in our event (The Harmony deworming program) before, with matching branded T-shirts).  "However, when we were being registered, the department realized that we were sharing the name with other organizations hence the name couldn't be used." She continues, our eyes meeting briefly. I'm seated right next to where she's standing. "We had to change the name so that we could be registered as a CCI (Charitable Children Institution)." She explains. "I registered in December 2015. The change meant that we now had a new image and the donors couldn't quite understand. They thought we were scamming them and thus pulled out." 

"We were unable to pay house rent and had to look for a smaller home. In the smaller home the owner wanted to take over and even asked people to donate to him as he was claiming he owns the home. When I resisted he was not so happy about it and denied us water, electricity and cut our clothe-lines. He paid people to pour water on the children's beds, beddings and clothes."  She continues, her gaze now fixed to a single point, unblinking. A cloud of sadness on her face, "We had rented the place for 6 months but stayed for 5 months. We had to move out early. We couldn't stand the unending malice anymore. And I was also scared for the kids. Knowing most of their backgrounds, I was worried that these constant attacks could have been harming them psychologically." By now every one of us is silent. We are not here to show pity, but this is too sad. "Since April 10th April 2017 we have been living in this church here where they were kind enough to give us a place to stay and also build a temporary buildings to house this children as we look for a permanent solution." She finishes. And I think I see a glimpse of hope on her face as she sits down. Maybe it's for the benefit of the kids. Maybe she honestly believes. Maybe that's the only choice she has. To hope for the best. For the sake of these innocent souls who have gone through so much.

Wings of a dove are currently housed at Jesus Christ our Hope church in Ruai. Under their care, they currently have more than 30 children aged between three and seventeen. Children taken care of here are orphans, abuse victims (both sexual and physical abuse. Some have pending court cases and are constantly visited by volunteer counselors).

We have a fundraising drive to help them put up temporary shelter as they find a permanent solution and help get the children out of the misfortune of having to sleep on the floor.
Any assistance towards this end will be greatly appreciated. Any kind of donation is much welcome. Both in kind and monetary. Even 50bob could go a long way in helping. I remember learning in school that Haba na haba hujaza kibaba. Your small and my small are what constitutes a forward trajectory.

To paraphrase Ms. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, We give to charity, not because we are somehow better than these people who receive these acts of charity, but because we are privileged. Privileged in such a way, that we are able to do these acts of kindness. It is not a demonstration of our own goodness, these acts of kindness, but a desire to see a more equal world and the realization that, for every person who has attained a position of privilege there are two people who could have as well if they had been given the opportunity.



Feel free to inbox us for any queries. Or contact us on:
0725 331 616 -Martin, Gen Hope.
0726 262 321 -Winnie, Gen Hope.
Or
0723 252 771- Ruth, Wings of a Dove home, Administrator.

To learn more about Wings of a Dove, kindly click on the link below:

http://littlevoicesofhope.blogspot.com/2017/12/wings-of-dove-community-centre.html



MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!! 🎆🎄🎅🤶
 

WINGS OF A DOVE COMMUNITY CENTRE.

WINGS OF A DOVE COMMUNITY CENTRE
P.O. BOX 59615-00200 Nairobi, Phone no:0723252771
Email:wingsofadove254@gmail.com

 

ORGANIZATION PROFILE

INTRODUCTION
Wing of a Dove Community Centre is located about 27 kilometers from Nairobi City Center. The Centre is situated off Kangundo Road, in Ruai opposite Embakasi Ranching Company and next to District Children Office, Njiru Sub County on the Eastern part of the of the Kenyan capital City of  Nairobi.
Wings of a Dove Community Centre started as informal group in 2004 in Dandora, Njiru Sub County, Nairobi as a day care Centre where children were taken care off as their mothers went to look for casual work within Dandora. The women group later registered as a community based organization (CBO) with ministry of gender, culture and social services in Embakasi division in 2005. Due to lack of employment and extreme poverty majority of the mothers abandoned their babies and as a result the home started in order to address the needs of the abandoned and neglected children.

CHILDREN PROGRAMME
Wings of a Dove Community Centre lay its emphasis on giving the orphaned and vulnerable (OVC) poor children a holistic rehabilitation. More than 31 children are provided with full care at Wings of a Dove Community Centre. We work towards bringing up children who know, understand and fear God as part of their spiritual growth. We reintegrate the children back to their families after we have conducted the necessary assessments and home visits. We have been able to rescue children in difficult circumstances and reunited them back to their families.

We emphasize on the provision of the basic human rights for the children of education, food, shelter and clothing. We provide food that has the necessary nutrients for their healthy growth. We provide quality education to the children by sponsoring them and ensuring that they achieve their ambitions. We also provide psycho social support and counseling when the children are under rehabilitation in the program. The children also participate in sports and perform their duties and responsibilities as part of their training to be responsible citizens of our nation in the future.
In December 2016 wings of a dove was officially registered as a Charitable Children Institutions (CCI) by the government. After the registration our donors withdrew thinking we had been involved in fraud and hence ruined our reputation. This being not the case as we had been instructed by the relevant authorities to change our name from Stars of Hope to Wings of a Dove Community Centre. Since then we’ve not had any other interested donor. We’ve already exhausted our funds and hence not able to pay rent or even get a bigger house where we can comfortably raise these little angels. In November 2016 Dolphins Real Estate assisted us by paying rent for five months after which the owner asked us to move out with no reason. The director talked to different local churches bishops and pastors asking for donations and or a place to stay. Only one bishop from Jesus Christ Our Hope church agreed to accommodate the children in the church and even allowed them to use the compound. The bishop allowed Wings of a Dove to establish temporary buildings to hold the children before they could get a place of their own.
Wings of a dove moved from the rentals to the church on 10th of April 2017 and have been sleeping inside the church. This is as they await to get help from well-wishers, sponsors and donors to help them purchase a land and build a place of their own.

CHALLENGES FACED

1.      Our main problems have been inadequate funds to run the home and a place of our own.
2.      Another challenge has been paying the workers and hence left to rely on well-wishers and volunteers to work in the home.
3.      With the doctors and nurses striking, buying of medicine and getting quality treatment has been a major challenge to us.
4.      All our children attend school, we have four girls in secondary, three in Jadamy Elite Primary School, and 20 are home schooling waiting to join a private school which has offered to sponsor them in primary and higher learning.
5.      Buying of stationaries, shoes, uniform, sport kits and books.
6.      Getting fuel e.g. fire wood, cooking gas or charcoal is another challenge.
7.      Another major challenge is food and water. Ruai being a dry area, the main sources of water are the borehole and water from the city council which is only available 2 days a week for four hours only.
 
REQURIMENTS

1.      Buying land and building a new home.
2.      Buying of stationaries, shoes, uniform, sport kits and books.
3.      Currently we require materials to build a temporary building in the church compound.
4.       Money to pay for treatments and buying medicine.
5.      Money to buy fuel e.g. fire wood, cooking gas or charcoal.
6.      Money to pay workers and pay for utility bills.
7.      Money to buy food and toiletries.

The aims and objectives of the Home are:
·         To assist needy children satisfy their basic human needs;
·         To ensure security of education, food, shelter, and the protection of their basic human rights;
·         To empower children with knowledge and skills for self reliance as well as help them nurture their talents;
·         To support the children  in their personal development through moral, spiritual and social support, as well as professional counseling;
·         To support the Family Reintegration Process.

MISSION
 To be the leading preferred Centre, for the destitute, orphaned and vulnerable children in the provision of care and support.

VISION
 To be the Centre that provides child fraternity with holistic development.

PURPOSE
Wings of a Dove Community Centre exists to provide a holistic development to the orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) and reintegrating them back to the community after they have successfully gone through the rehabilitation process. (Proverb 14:31).

BENEFICIARIES
To date Wings of a Dove Community Centre is home to 31 children aged between the ages of 3 years to 17 years. Each child has come to the Centre as a result of abandonment, abuse, and neglect or orphaned due to Hiv/Aids. Currently all the children attend different schools. The Centre is committed to supporting the children throught their schooling. We invite you to join and partner with us in order to help our children through contributions both materially and financially.

AREAS OF SUPPORT:
I.)     Education: We have children in secondary, primary and pre-school (Text books, exercise books, stationeries, uniforms and school fees).
II.)               Food (Cereals, vegetables, fruits, cooking oil, meat, milk and eggs).
Toiletries and detergents(Bar soap, bathing soap, omo, sanitary towels, tissues, petroleum jelly and shoe polish).
III.)            Health (Paying bills and buying medicines).
IV.)   Clothes (Beddings , mattresses, mosquito nets, clothes and shoes)