Twiga Centre

People ask what the children do when they visit Twiga Children's Centre. Here's the answer.

With music, so make sure your speakers are on!

Swing High, Swing Low ...

The Swing

The upright is erected

Then the crossbar is positioned

Marking up

Here we go ...

Testing for strength (or acting like a big kid)

Brian [minor], being light, gets to test the swing

Dennis puts it through its paces

From his expression, I guess it passed the test!

Edwin was next to go ...

and also approved of the new acquisition

Aloys, for all his swagger, was very careful

He doesn't look happy, does he?

Oh, now he does.

Nyachuba is the first girl to have a go.

... followed by Catherine, one of our new girls

Then it was  time to try tandem.

Catherine gives her little sister, Ivy a ride

Brian, of course, just had to use it as a climbing frame.

... while Christine uses the swing

Cliff and Brian

Steve gets a go - eventually

Dreaming

HIV/AIDS

In our latest intake of children, we have accepted a little girl who was born HIV positive. Her mother, who is still living is also HIV positive and is being treated with anti-retro-viral drugs.

But the little girl isn't. She is being treated with a special diet.

Now, we know very little about HIV/AIDS, other than it has killed the parents of most of our Twiga children.

Two years ago, we lost a 3-year-old girl to AIDS and we don't want to lose another.

Presently, this little girl appears to be perfectly healthy, although it is difficult to judge as she is also very shy.

• Can anyone advise us as to whether dietary treatment is normal for a 2 to 3-year old child?
• Should she be on ARVs at such a young age?
• Is there anything else we can do?

Your help in this matter would be very much appreciated.

Goals for 2010

A new year, so we need to set goals.

Having had a major re-think last year, we decided that we will continue to give support to our children, keeping them within a family unit wherever possible, whether that be a single parent, grandparents of older siblings.

However, we have three, maybe four families where the children would benefit from residential care. To this end, we have redrawn our plans for building a residential unit at Twiga.

This will comprise two small dormitories, with four sets of bunks in each. The existing hut, which has three rooms will  be converted to that the smaller front room will become the kitchen/office, the small back room will be sleeping quarters for the 24/7 carer and that large room will be the dining/study/leisure area.

We will also need to construct washing facilities and a toilet block - a deep-pit has already been dug for the latrine.

The kitchen already has a 3-ring tabletop gas cooker, which will burn methane from an anaerobic digester that was constructed on site by KCIS last year. 

Local, traditional building materials will be used to keep costs down, but we will still need to acquire poles, cement, roofing sheets, window and door frames, as well as furniture and equipment, such as a generator (or we could be connected to the electricity grid, if we can get a regular income).

-oOo-

In conjunction with KCIS, we have extended our vegetable plot at the Twiga centre, where we are now growing peas and beans as well as kale. We are also trying to grow sugar cane. This is a good source of natural sugar and its due to its fibrous nature, it also keeps the children's teeth clean while they are chewing it.

-oOo-

Last year, we constructed a swing. This has proved to be very popular, so we will be looking at constructing other playground equipment this year - a see-saw, and maybe a climbing frame. 

Well, for the moment, that is it, although i am sure that other projects will appear as the year progresses.

Heri Za Mwaka Mpya

The children and staff of

Twiga Children's Centre

wish everyone a

Happy New Year.

The Children Cook a Meal

It was Sunday. About 15 children were at the Twiga centre, where they were letting off steam and remembering what it was like to be a child for a while.

But they were hungry. They had been given sugar cane, as much to help clean their teeth as to give them the energy from the sugar itself, but they were still hungry.

We were about to find a couple of volunteers to cook a meal when Aloys (13) said that he wanted to cook, as long as someone provided the ingredients. He was despatched to the local shop clutching a Ksh 200 note and soon came back with kale, tomatoes, onions and a bit of meat - probably goat. We already had maize flour in stock and he set about getting a fire going.

Looking for firewood was just the excuse that two of the younger lads to shin up the tall trees on the plot. These trees don't have branches below about 20 feet. They literally shinned up!

Firewood collected, stones placed to make a fireplace, Dennis, kneeling down to blow the flames into life and Aloys started to prepare the Ugali. Meanwhile, some of the girls were in the hut preparing the vegetables. But what was going on outside was far more entertaining!

Aloys had not placed the stones well and as he stirred the ugali, and it thickened, he could not keep the pot still. Dennis, on his knees, cheek on the ground was still blowing on the fire, but had to jump up to grab the pot to steady it, using leaves and bits of card to protect his fingers.

As soon as the ugali was ready, the girls turfed Aloys out of the cooking area. He was not going to get all the credit for the meal.

Soon, sukuma wiki was on the go and not long afterwards, the girls were serving up.

Baba Mzungu is not keen on sukuma wiki and ugali, so was not served. However, as soon as Aloys finished his meal, he shot back outside, fanned the fire and made himself busy. Soon, he presented Baba Mzungu with two hard-boiled eggs and salt.

The boy is very thoughtful. Having asked Vincent if Baba Mzungu took ugali and being told that he didn't, he had made a meal for one. OK, two boiled eggs is not a lot, but with a budget of Ksh 200 and 15 mouths to feed, it was a nice thought.

But then, that's is what we would expect from Aloys.


Also posted on the KCIS Blog

Generous People Will Make It Christmas At Twiga

Originally posted on BabaMzungu

Since the beginning of 2008, I have been collecting old cell phones for sale in Kenya. Last year, this effort raised enough to buy all our kids a new pair of leather schools shoes!
I have continued to collect cell phones, but they are becoming rarer. So I put out a plea for toys and games, as we approach Christmas - and my departure for Kenya.

Orphaned kids in Kenya don't do Christmas. They go to church, but other than that, Christmas Day is just another day to survive.

Anyway, I just want to say a big thank you to Sophie, 10 years old, who lives in Newbury. She has given up her complete collection of Barbie dolls, 15 of them! Her little brothers gave 4 or 5 cars and a few other bits and bobs.

Anne, also from Newbury, gave us a load of cuddly toys, and some games, such as chess, draughts and card games and a junior Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.

Mia, a South African, also from Newbury gave us some games and some seed for our vegetable plot.

Our kids at Twiga are going to have one very good Christmas, even if it will be a little early - I will be back in the UK for the day.

But we still need money to feed them (and to build the much needed children's home), so if anyone is feeling generous, or wants to do some fund-raising, please feel free. Donations can be made with the PayPal button in the right margin of our KCIS blog page.

Visits from the UK - Past and Future

We were very fortunate to receive a visit from a BBC Radio Berkshire producer/researcher in July.

Nejra Chehic visited Kisii on another project, but had known about Twiga Children's Centre through our UK director, David Steggall. Nejra contacted David and it was arranged that she would visit us, see the Centre and speak to some of the children.

The result of this visit can be heard on the BBC Radio Berkshire website. An audio slide show can also be seen on their site, displaying photos of some of our Twiga children.

David will be returning to Kisii on 12th November and will be staying for about a month, when he will be shooting footage for a new video about the plight of OVCs in Kisii, and what Twiga (and KCIS) are hoping to do for them.

Raising Our Profile in the UK

What do we need? Funds!

When do we need it? Now!

How do we get it? We raise the profile of our parent organisation, KCIS and feature our children.

A reporter from BBC Radio Berkshire in the UK, Nejra Cehic, recently visited Kisii and met Vincent & Abigael as well as some of the children. She recorded a lot of things in Kisii and these were broadcast over two weeks, on 9th and 16th August. They have also put a slideshow on their website, which you can see here.

Let us hope that the good people of Berkshire will respond with kindness.

Things are moving along - at last!

During his visit in May 2009, Baba Mzungu organised the clearance of a plot and the sowing of seed that he had brought from England. We planted cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, onion, leek, tomatoes, carrots, spinach, beetroot and butternut squash.

All the seed has taken and the kids, with help from Vincent are now tending the crops.

We are hoping that because the climate in Kisii does not change much through the year, we will be able to grow vegetables all year round, which will help feed the Twiga kids.

To The Kids of TWIGA

This is Baba Mzungu and I can assure all the Children of Twiga that I will be coming out to Kenya ... but just not yet.
As in Kenya, the UK is going through a bad period financially and it is very difficult to raise the money for my trip, but I will do it!
Why? Because, Children of Twiga, we have a lot to do. We are going to start growing vegetables and fruit on the plot. We are going to improve the cottage so that after working on the plot (and no doubt getting very dirty, Edwin, Dennis, Henry, Davis, Aloys), you will be able to have a shower to clean off.
We will be looking at producing electricity, rainwater collection, clean, pure drinking water, warm water for washing, gas for cooking - in fact between us, we are going to improve the plot a lot.
We might even get around to looking at breeding fish to eat, but that maybe for another time - we'll see.
So, Children of Twiga, I will be coming and I will be working hard, with your help.

Baba Mzungu is Coming

This is probably not as exciting as Santa Claus to the children, but I fear that Father Christmas will not be coming this year, not because the children have been naughty, but because food is too expensive and we cannot afford anything else.

And I know that when David arrives, we will all be very busy starting up the farm, designing water treatment systems and starting an education programme to reduce malaria in our area, and maybe planning the building of our new orphanage.

But I am sure that he will take time off on a Saturday or Sunday and give all the children at Twiga one BIG party!

Now that's something to look forward to, isn't it?

... and a Friendly Name

Since the amalgamation of Mercy Gate CCH and KCIS, I have been worrying that KCIS Child Support Centre is a bit "cold" as a name for a children's home. It is a joyless name, and the kids there are full of joy.
So, I was talking to Vincent yesterday and mentioned my concerns. I put forward the idea that we could have an animal in the name and eventually settled on a giraffe.
So, the "friendly" name for the KCIS Child Support Centre will be Twiga Children's Centre.
[For those who do not speak Swahili, Twiga is a giraffe.]