Founder’s story

During ‘Lockdown 2020’ my two sons and I wanted to do something to help our friend, Evanson, in Kenya. I had met Evanson some 5 years earlier when a friend and I set up a charity, having both recently sponsored children in Kenya through Compassion International. We came across him by chance (finding his website instead of the Kenyan branch of Compassion International) and he helped us set up our charity. He remains the most selfless man I know.

The boys and I knew that life was tough in the slums in Nairobi but we knew that in lockdown it was going to be even harder. The boys decided to sell homemade lemonade and cookies, and some homemade keyring and bookmarks, at a stall outside our house, hoping that walkers in the hills nearby and local friends would come and support us.

5 days later Evanson was able to deliver a bag of food and soap to 15 of the most in-need children that attend his school (currently closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic). We ‘met’ a 10 year old girl named Jannet. She lived outside, and had a dirty, foam mattress, a broken plastic chair and a couple of plastic bags as a roof. And she was raising her 18 month old baby brother. Her mother was unable to raise her children due to very sad circumstances and was currently working as a prostitute and had become an alcoholic. Jannet’s kindly neighbours allowed her to use their stove when she had food and they often cared for the baby when she went to school. Jannet was instantly put on my heart. I knew that this was the beginning of a new journey.

I began investigating how I might be able to help further, researching the internet and having discussions with various close friends. I was reluctant to begin another charity on my own and wanted to see what alternative options there were.

Meanwhile, Evanson and I set about working towards a plan to rehabilitate Jannet’s mother so that they could become a family again. We came up with a 6 month plan, by which time mum would be better able to provide for herself and her family: we rented a house (although we are talking a 3m x 3m tin shanty in the slum, not a 3 bed semi), I began sponsoring Jannet so that they could afford some food, we helped mum to find alternative work, provided her with family planning assistance and arranged some counselling, and we set up their house with the essential items they needed. We also provided a second delivery of food and soap to the same most in-need children, arranged a sponsorship for a 10 year old orphan girl, being raised by her grandmother, and also gave her some clothes and a new mattress. Exactly one month from meeting Jannet – and her receiving her first bag of food and soap – a sofa seat was delivered to their house, to join the table, mattress, bed frame, gas stove, clothes, food, utensils and toys that we had provided during that month. Their house had become a home. Jannet’s mother had worked so hard and my heart was filled with joy to see her nurturing the baby she so loved, and to see her daughter playing as any 10 year old should.

The very next day I had the news that we had been accepted by the Charity Commission and were now registered as a charity.