The older kids at Riruta eat their lunch. The Tenderfeet feeding program is tremendously important to the children and their health.
I brought some lollipops as a little treat for the kids. I was really impressed by their politeness and manners.
Gillian was severely burned in the middle of 2008. The Tenderfeet emergency fund was used for treatment, but a bad scar remains.
This is the grandmother of Stephen Maina showing a handcraft she makes from beads. Tenderfeet works with widows to help them earn money to be better provide for their families.
This is the mother of student Debra Nyirazaga. Her husband was killed in 2001 when visiting relatives in Rwanda. She explained how Tenderfeet is the only school in the area that doesn't charge tuition.
Rency Chepchumba is a teacher who runs a small school for needy children in Eldoret. Here she poses with Mama Margaret and Rency's son David.
Outside Lucy's house, you can see the area where families wash clothes, dishes, and prepare meals. It's very difficult to do these things without running water.
A bag of charcoal costs around $12-$15 US dollars and could last up to two weeks if used carefully. 99% of poor families in Kenya cook on charcoal stoves, but most struggle to afford charcoal.
A typical Kenyan shopping area. At left is a small grocery, to the right is a furniture shop, usually selling handmade wooden beds and chairs
In downtown Nairobi, you can find all kinds of restaurants. The “Tacos Club” logo looks somewhat familiar...
Lucy's father sells clothes he buys wholesale in Nairobi and brings back to Nyahururu, a round trip of about 7 hours. He makes about 10-20 cents profit per clothing item.
The road to the Riruta school can become a muddy mess even after a small rain. I realized how important it would be for the schoolkids to get rubber boots (called “gumboots” in Kenya) for these conditions. Many families can't afford them.
Kids schoolshoes after walking through the mud. The mud is really sticky and during the rainy season, it becomes a big headache
While we were buying children's clothes at the big market in Nairobi, some former students (now grown) of Margaret stopped to say hello and visit. We ran into Margaret's students of all ages pretty much everywhere we went.
This is the high school Kevin Ochoki attends, thanks to the sponsorship program. There are no high schools available near his home in Kibera, so he must board at this one. Boarding schools are the norm in Kenya and non-boarding alternatives are rare. Poor families can almost never afford high school.
Students and teachers at the Riruta school.
Margaret's sister Mary starts the charcoal stove used for preparing lunch. In the distance is Liberty Academy, which charges 1000 shillings (about $15) per month. Most poor families could never afford such a school
Edwin Angote measures the height of Sharon Wangari
Cathy Khulman and Esther Ngina make a handcraft at school. These are two of the brightest students you'll find but would be unable to attend school without Tenderfeet
Faith Wanjiru is Mama Margaret's niece, who is an orphan. She is starting a non-boarding high school that is fortunately near Margaret's home. Margaret fundraised tirelessly door to door and even requested donations to passers-by on the street downtown, in order to raise the tuition for the school.
Esther Karanja is the mother of Emily, a student who is starting high school in Nyahururu. We were able to use sponsorship funds to make this big step possible.
January is part of the dry season in Kenya, and there was a severe water shortage. Water must be purchased and carried like this, sometimes long distances.
A squat latrine typically shared by 5 or more families. This one was a bit nicer than many you find in the slums, especially the ones in Kibera which can be very unsanitary
Here we are buying 40 yards of material for school uniforms for Tenderfeet, using the money donated to the Lahash Christmas Fund. Tenderfeet has been threatened with closure repeatedly by the Education Ministry because the students don't all have uniforms. Most schools won't accept a student without a uniform, but Margaret can't turn them away.
Margaret Wambui is the chairperson and Stephen Kiarie is the secretary of the Tenderfeet board. Tenderfeet is a registered Community Based Organization, and the board serves an important oversight role.
Arian Ogo is starting high school this year in Matuu, thanks in large part to her sponsor. Arian comes from a rough part of Kibera but can go far with a good education.
Mercy is the social worker that is administring the Tenderfeet sponsorship program. She has experience as a teacher as well as being on the staff at projects such as an abandoned baby home
A delicious Kenyan meal of peas, potatoes, cabbage, rice and a small portion of meat. The vegetables in this meal would be too expensive for needy families to buy regularly.
A few pages from the math workbook of Moses Mirigi. Poor children from illiterate families in the slums usually enter Tenderfeet without any knowledge of English or any familiarity with numbers.
Faith Wambui writes a thank-you letter to her sponsor
