Children in Magongo, Mombasa who have been robbed of their parents due to HIV have undergone stressful moments in gaining education and food to eat.
Vivian Achieng, Regina Maina and Maureen Oyugi have volunteered to teach these children who are ten years and below. But the land they have been using for two years given to them by a Gospel church is to be taken away and the volunteers are looking for another place to carry out their work. They also lack teaching facilities such books, blackboard and chalks.
Vivian says some of the children who attend have dropped out of school to find ways of getting food. She says they found some children searching for food in the garbage such as Kifotu Abel. Kifotu is nine-years-old. His father died when he was two then relatives and in-laws chased his mother away who had three more siblings and couldn’t take them to school. As young as they were that is when they started looking for food in the garbage.
Because they are hungry many children can’t concentrate so the volunteers make lunch for the children. Because they are orphaned they only tend to eat one meal a day.
Vivian says single parent families also face many problems. Felix Otieno’s mother is a multiple drug user and uses any drug, even injecting ones, to relieve her of the reality she faces. But Felix is able to access education and food thanks to the volunteer teachers.
The organization calls itself DANES Children Centre, although they are not registered by the government.