SAIDIA NEWS!

Mont Blanc Marathon

For our American supporters
We now have a sister charity in the USA. You can give money for Saidia through The Orphan Support League, without having to worry about transferring money to the UK.

Building Fund Appeal
The Building Fund appeal is now closed, as the building is complete and paid for.

Mji wa Neema is Swahili for 'house of hope'. We are a small UK based charity raising funds to support orphaned children in and around Naivasha and Gilgil in Kenya, and specifically to fund Saidia Children's Home and projects run by Jill Simpson MBE and Teresa Wahito, two women who work tirelessly on behalf of AIDS orphans and other deprived children in the area.

The first 'House of Hope' was established in Naivasha, about fifty miles North of Nairobi, and is home to two babies and a group of 26 small children, who would otherwise have to fend for themselves on the street.

Today The Naivasha home is run by a committee of local community members, with a trained social worker taking care of the day to day running of the home. Our original goal of creating a home that is supported by the local community has been achieved, and we no longer need to help with the day to day running costs, though we maintain close links, and will still help with building maintenance and emergencies if required.

Our efforts now centre on Saidia Children's Home in Gilgil. This home was established in 2004 in a disused college building. Like the Naivasha home, the long term aim is for the home to be funded and run by the local community, but at this early stage we are still having to make substantial contributions to the day to day running costs, as well as funding various repairs and improvements to the building.

There is no social security net in Kenya; the extended family is still very strong and orphaned children would normally be taken in by an aunt or grannie. But kids with no family are on their own, and today many families have lost the entire parent generation to AIDS. The idea of 'charity', so normal in our society, is a new idea in many third-world countries. One of our fundamental aims is to create projects that will become independent of outside aid, relying instead on a mix of self sufficiency and local support. It is precarious now because it is new, but if we can help at this crucial time it will become sustainable in the long term. Small amounts of money to us will go a long way for them - can you imagine feeding a child on £10 a month (the cost of a daily paper) in the UK?

Mji wa Neema is registered as a charity in the UK (No: 1099611). UK trustees and fund raisers, and the administration team in Kenya all work on an entirely voluntary basis, so that every penny collected goes directly to the children.

Please explore the rest of this site to find out a little more about our House of Hope, and maybe make a small donation. (Following the arrow at the bottom of each page will take you on a quick tour of the site.)