The New Year has brought some sadness to The GLO, our eldest girl Mwaka has returned to her family leaving her brother Kanoti remaining at The Good Life Orphanage.

Mwaka and Kanoti are committed to the GLO

Mwaka is a bright girl of almost 18 years who will be joining Class 6 this year. She joined the GLO on 25th November, 2011 together with her young brother Kanoti who is now almost 12 years old. She is the fifth born and the only daughter in a family of six children. Mwaka is a double orphan as both her parents have died due to some complicated diseases that none of the family members can really explain well: both of them suffered mental illness during the late stages of their illness.

Mwaka praying

Mwaka’s mother passed away in 2010 and her father died in 2013. The family lives in abject poverty and all her eldest brothers did not get the chance to join high school, they survive on doing casual jobs in construction sites or Fishing along Mshomoroni creek. Mwaka and her young brother Kanoti went to Hope Orphanage school and this is where their plight was brought to light. Although they attended the school daily, it reached a stage where the only meals they were eating was at Hope school feeding programme. Thankfully the founders of the HOS Fredrick Mulama & Alan Coyne noticed the plight of the children and requested they join our orphanage as Alan was familiar with our project. Mwaka and Kanoti were committed to the GLO for a duration of three years, both children flourished at the GLO and quickly became favourites with everyone.

Chabetty & Mwaka outside Kilroe House

By August 2014 their committals had expired, efforts to renew them were put in place but Mwaka was unlucky because as she was turning 18 years old later this year & with the tight CCI rules, her committal couldn’t be renewed for less than a year. Sadly we were left with no option but reunite her with extended family. She underwent a number of counselling sessions to prepare her for the life outside GLO and on 2nd January, 2015 she bid everyone farewell and left to rejoin her family again.

Mwaka with Keogh House Family

Best friends

A number of family meetings were conducted between Uncle Hemed (Social worker) and her relatives in order to prepare them but one of the biggest challenge faced was getting a relative who would take the responsibility of finding her a new school as each of them claimed not to own the burden. Through good networking and support from Aunt Lucy our counsellor we were able to secure a new school for her called New Hope Academy that is some few Kilometres away from her home and she will be able to get breakfast, lunch and stationery all for free. New Hope also have a secondary school and Mwaka was promised by the Director Mr Japheth Eyama if she gets good marks in the KCPE exams she will have a chance to join High school.

Mwaka arrives at the family home

Hope Academy School

Whilst we are very sad to see Mwaka leave our confines, we are also aware that we must adhere to the strict rules governing the Charitable Children’s Institutions in Kenya, we will visit Mwaka often and she is very welcome to return to The GLO to visit her brother Kanoti and her GLO siblings in Keogh House.

Chabetty & Mwaka

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