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!! 🎆🎄🎅🤶