REFLECTION…

How many times do we walk down the streets and judge others based on their looks, supposed poverty, smell, clothes, or presumed state of mind? But why must these judgments exist in everyday society? We are called to spread the pure “Love” of God, but we get held back by our own prejudices.

As TKW we are always challenged to make sure our hearts are open-wide and welcome every person that we meet especially children on the streets and their families because Jesus afraid of the homeless.

There are many children in the streets right now. Many who have been locked in the city due to the current lock down. Their desire is to go back home and TKW team has been meeting with them for a relating time, a meal and prayers to keep hope alive as they await their removal from streets once the lock down is over; hopefully soon.

Ochieng is one of the young men TKW met. He is 15 and knows the streets too well, as he has lived there for over 7 months. His reason for being on the streets was disagreements with his parents.

 “I used to be very cunning and my parents kept on warning me about the behavior. “One day I met with some old friends who had dropped out of school and we left for the city. ”But in the streets life has not been easy. To survive, I have had to look for odd jobs to do…Before this crisis “I used to wash clothes for a friend of mine who was a shoes trader and he would pay me so coins to allow me to eat. Now, I just want to go home. I would love to go back to school.

He was previously in Form 1 at a secondary school in Western Kenya.

Chattering words 10-year-old Cynthia* says:

“I do not know where my mum is, but I know that she is still alive. At times we have slept without food but I cannot complain – to whom, anyway? My father is working hard and I cannot discourage him. I only pray to God that one day my mother will come back so that we can all be a family again.”
I want to learn a lot of things in school and to get an education. But now schools are closed…Who knows when they will open? I would like to become a doctor or a teacher and help other people especially children to get a happy life.

As TKW team we pray the one day we shall come to meet Cynthia’s mother and ask her hard questions for her daughter…How could she as a mother walk away from her children? Were her children not embedded inside of her to an extent of abandoning them?

Distressing Call from a Mother, Pulled Lurky Back Home

“Hello, my name is Juliet . I have been given your contacts by a lady whose child was on the streets and you rescued them. My son got lost 1 month ago and I have reported the case to the nearby police station.  I hear he could be in town because he has always wanted to go to his grandmothers’ place.  Kindly his name is Lurky aged 11 years old… If you happen to find him on the streets please contact me. I shall be forever grateful…”

This was Lurky’s mother distressing call to one of TKW team member. Her request seemed impossible as the team meets many children on the streets. Most of these children change their name to protect their identity bearing in mind that Lurky could have been in another town too. But the search was on.

For a month, Lurky was nowhere to be found but as the team diversified the search; Lurky who is 11 years old was rescued from the streets by TKW team. Fortunately, he had not changed his name nor was he sniffing any glue. God had protected him. A Good Samaritan with a food kiosk in an open market in Nairobi had given him a place to sleep and food to eat. Lurky would sweep the kiosk daily and this earned him peace.

This is our work in Tumaini Kwa Watoto every day. And for the children still hopeful in the streets, we wake up every morning to rescue them one child at a time…

Thank you our friends for your continued support. May God bless you and keep you safe- you and your families