Betty is a young girl aged 7 years old. Sadly she was abandoned by her mother when she was three months old leaving her in the care of her father who suffers from severe mental illness. Both Betty and her father have been living on the Kibarani Rubbish Dump where there are no houses and the only bedding is waste materials. The conditions are beyond comprehension to us but sadly this is home to many families in Mombasa.
Last November Betty’s father took her to St Francis of Assisi School and begged the head teacher to give his daughter a chance to learn as she is an intelligent child. Since it was towards the end of the term the teachers allowed her to do KG2 exams because of her age and despite the fact that she had never been toschool before she managed to get such good grades that she joined KG3. In KG3 the teachers got concerned about her truant behavior ,some of Betty’s classmates explained to the staff that she spent most of her day trying to cope with her father’s illness whilst continuing to search for food or anything she could sell on the dump, the teachers realised quickly that they needed to intervene as they feared for her safety and welfare.
St Francis School comes under the jurisdiction of St Patrick’s Parish in Bangla which is a slum in Mombasa, it is an oasis in the middle of chaos as it offers help to so many. They have a very active wing which deals with children in need and Nora Mwangi their Social Worker working along with Judy & Father Gabriel brought Betty’s plight to the attention of Changamwe Children’s Officer and asked for her to be committed to The Good Life Orphanage.
After the preparation of all the reports, Betty attended Tononoka Children’s Court where she was committed to The GLO on Friday 21st August, on arrival she was very quiet and withdrawn, living in the orphanage is a big difference from having to scavenge for food on a tip. Betty has been with us now for five days and she has settled in so quickly making friends with Gracie & Suomo. She was even part of Papa Kevin’s welcoming committee yesterday morning.
We know Betty will have underlying problems from her past eight year living in such harsh conditions but we have a very able team in Hemed & Lucy who will be onhand to assist Mama Jane in O’Malley House with any problems that come to the fore. We also have to thank Nora Mwangi from St Patrick’s Dispensary & the staff at St Francis of Assisi School for their quick actions in highlighting Betty’s dangerous situation. Betty will be starting St Bernadette Mary School on the 1st September and we look forward to her enjoying her days now as a child should without any hunger or insecurity and living in a loving environment where children are respected and cherished.
This place is a godsend. I work as a family physician in Mombasa and at the clinic in St. Patrick’s parish. Betty is very fortunate to be in this new home. I have just watched the Planet Earth series done by the BBC on Cities and Mombasa dump was featured in it. You will see exactly where Betty was living if you watch it. The film broke my heart yesterday and this site gave me hope today. We must all continue to work together to make the lives of these children safe and provide for their daily needs. Bravo Goodlife Orphanage. Keep gloing!!!
How wonderful that Betty can now live safely in such a lovely place . Wishing her all the best in her school life! We hope she makes lots of friends and enjoys her learning xx
And look at her now! This bought tear to my eye. She is the loveliest of young ladies and will go on to do wonderful things! Well done Betty for working hard, being so lovely and always having a GREAT BIG smile on your face xxxx
So wonderful stories of love and care you are giving to all the orphans .
Also to hear how well some of the staff are doing .
Wishing you all a Very Happy Christmas and Peace in the New Year .
Pam Wilkinson