Oundle residents Liz Turnbull & Nicola Guise share a passion for Kenya and travelled to the Nairobi slums in 2016 on an ‘adventure with purpose’ Umoja trip. Whilst there, they met an inspirational team of volunteers, themselves former street children, who were working with young street children (aged 5-14) seeking to reunite them with their families and introduce them into schools through a drop-in centre programme - the Real Hope Community Youth Organisation (RHYCO).
Fast forward to January 2020 after a number of subsequent visits, Nicola and Liz have set up their own charity - Marafiki (meaning ‘friendship’ in swahili) Trust - to support the RHYCO programme alongside a nearby centre for seven boys with cerebral palsy.
Through generous donations, child sponsorship and grants, the charity has supported 74 children/61 RHYCO families and the seven boys at the Joyful Hearts Centre (JHC) through the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, since schools and centres closed in March this year until January 2021. The children and their families have received food parcels, access to water (thanks to the generosity of Oundle residents David & Gersi), and an education box of materials supplied by Oundle Rotary Club. A generous grant has enabled the RHYCO team to assist parents to get back on their feet through a Parental Empowerment Programme.
COVID-19 has highlighted a need for a ‘safe house’ for some of the children who are currently living in the homes of the team members due to abuse and/or neglect at home. RHYCO wants to expand and help more children. The Marafi ki Trust is actively fundraising to support the acquisition of a new exclusive-use centre for the RHYCO programme with residential facilities for respite care. Liz and Nicola are proud to say that every penny donated through the Marafi ki Trust goes to the projects in Kenya. You can help in the following way:
• £20 will sponsor a child at RHYCO or JHC for a month • £30 will fund a food parcel for a family for a month or help to feed the children in the centre • £100 will buy a bed and mattress for the new centre • £5 will provide clean water for a family for a week • £16 will provide physiotherapy treatment for the JHC children for a day
For further information about the charity please visit the website and/or follow Marafiki Trust on social media or contact the trustees on the details below.
To make a difference in someone’s life, you don’t have to be brilliant, rich, beautiful, or perfect. You just have to care.’ Mandy Hale
www.marafikitrust.org email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. @marafikitrust Charity Number: 1187949
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