Feed 200 Children Living in Kibera Slum

The BBC recently reported that up to 50% of four billion tonnes of food produced around the world is wasted each year. You can read the report here.There is plenty of food in the world, the problem is distribution.

In Kibera, kids are not going hungry because there is a lack of food in Nairobi, but because their parents or guardians lack access to adequate resouces to produce or purchase food. At Turning Point, we not only feed our kids a nutritious lunch everyday but we also give out small loans to parents as part of our microfinance project so they can start small businesses giving them the capital to purchase food for themselves and their children. Beatrice is one of our microfinance beneficiaries and her business helps her to feed her children. This is her story:

Me, I have a business selling woven material that I make myself using a loom. It takes me 2 weeks to make a set of 14 pieces of woven material and then I can sell each set for maybe 2,500/= (around £22) if I’m lucky. I’ve had my business for 2 years now and I’m very happy for it. It really helps me because I have four children who are always hungry and I always have to give them food. Last year was very difficult because they decided to increase the cost of food. I think it was because of the drought. I found it very difficult and it is still hard. Sometimes I cannot feed my family, and if my business does not sell then my children cannot eat. I am very careful with my money and it becomes very difficult when food becomes expensive. But the little I get I use to push. God will watch us.

Wambua is a typical example of one of the children benefitting from our feeding programme. This is how he turned up Turning Point, and how it's impacted his life:

Wambua is 8 years old and the fourth born out of six children. His father separated from the mother and in the process deserted his children. His mother does not work but has since remarried. Although the step father sometimes brings food home, occasionally he disappears for days at a time and the children are forced to go hungry. Wambua’s eldest sister dropped out of school and married. She never completed her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education. However, the second and third born children are both in school with Turning Point’s support and are benefitting from the school Feeding Programme. Wambua also receives regular meals at the Turning Point centre where he comes to attend our Prep classes. As well as playing football, Wambua likes learning with the other children at Turning Point Prep class and his favourite subject is Kiswahili. When he is older he would like to be a doctor. Turning Point’s Feeding Programme is vital for keeping children like Wambua fed, healthy and in class.

With your help, we are able to feed and support many more children like Wambua.