Supporting residents of Mukuru Sinai during the pandemic

It’s Saturday August 15, 2020. We have an important mission today. To distribute food packs to Mukuru Sinai, a community adversely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. 

Mukuru Sinai borders Industrial Area and South B Estate in Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi. It is easily accessible from Likoni Road and through Lunga Road. 

In this informal settlement, lies a ray of hope. The hope is in an association called the Viwandani Comprehensive Community Organization, a youth-led led group managed by 20 members. The organization focuses on urban farming, empowerment and street soccer, among other activities. 

Instead of a victim mentality, through their leader Shakur Njeru, they are determined to have positive and better lives for themselves. 

In a chance meeting between Shakur and Rotary Club of Lavington Jioni President Grace Miheso. The club president was in the area visiting a health facility and Shakur took a keen interest to ask what Rotary does. 

After a short discussion, he quickly gave a pitch about the community organization and asked if it was possible to support those worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic in the community. Two weeks later, we were in Sinai.

Shakur explained that many in the community were facing reduced work or loss of jobs because of the pandemic. Many were single mothers with young children and the situation was dire. In his view, the immediate need was food. We were only happy to oblige. As we distributed the food packs to over 60 families, we met Sarah who had a two-month old baby and had lost her day job as a cleaner in a nearby hotel.

We also met a young lady whose dad had recently passed on and she had taken in her 15-year old sister. She did not have a job currently. 

We met a cheerful Halima, who survived the Sinai fire tragedy that hit the area in 2011. She and her husband are engaged in modern farming practices and had a poultry cage. She is a face of optimism despite the circumstances.

Prayers and blessings from the grateful residents humbled us. As members of Rotary Club of Lavington Jioni, we went to lend a helping hand in Mukuru Sinai and left with lots of gladness in our hearts. 

We saw the sense of community, gratitude and support for one another, camaraderie all around.  We were glad to have been part of a great initiative under the guidance of the young men and women of Viwandani Comprehensive Community Organisation.

There was a buzz of life and activity all round. There was a variety of foods on sale and shop owners going about their business. Life was finding a way to go on despite the challenges that Covid-19 had thrown at all of us.