We Are The Change We Need. #JengaKeja

No matter how tough you think your life is, there’s always someone who has to face challenges even tougher than yours. Imagine living in a crudely built shack all your life, with no job, no access to basic human needs, struggling to make ends meet for your family, barely surviving, no clothing, no education with you because circumstances forced you to drop out of school. Tough isn’t it? Muiruri’ story is tough and heartbreaking, but, he still wears a smile knowing that tough times do not last.

Muiruri arrived in Kinoo at the age of ten during the 1997 clashes in Kenya and it was only so by luck after his uncle made a bold decision to get him out from the clash area -Niachi Njoro. Niachi wasn’t the most suitable area to raise a family in. They used to sleep out in the bushes as houses were burnt down during the night and if yours was torched and you were deep in slumber, death would then meet you. Getting him to a safe zone is something that he has been entirely grateful for. His uncle, as he says, worked in the transport business hence easy for him to evict the area.

In Nairobi, he joined his mother who was at the time working at Magana flowers. She had young ones she was raising, so money was very tight, they we’re basically “surviving”. To make ends meet, Muiruri had no choice but to drop out from primary school in class four from the Nearby Rungiri primary School. Hustling became his full time job. He’d hustle day in day out, cutting nappier grass and fetching water, and ever since, the hustle has never stopped.

Life has been indeed tough. One thing about muiruri is he never gave up despite his situation with life right now. He challenged me and I almost felt regretful of the times I felt like giving up given his situation. He welcomed us in his house with a broad smile and he cautiously opens his falling door that is barely holding onto its frame. Offers us a cup of turungi or what we like to call black tea and he gets on with sweeping the house. We vehemently refused his clean the house and instead urged him to sit down so that we can have a heart to heart conversation.

On that particular day, he hadn’t been able to find work at the quarry which was one of his hustle areas. I recall him telling us of how he had to revamp his house structure again with the help of an elderly man who could barely hand him tools or materials whilst his friends laughed at his efforts to put back his house. It’s a one roomed house with the bed patched the walls .The tables are barely standing. The ants bore into wood to create nests hence destroying the wood on the tables. What really broke my heart was the imagination that if it rained, the floor would then be very muddy from the leaks. He breaks into a smile though, hopefully, he knows that all shall be well.

Muiruri’s story is not only powerful but also very eye opening. We need to appreciate what God has blessed us with, we need to learn to share and have humanity. I’ve made a pact with myself to complain less, not to think of ever giving up, I need to constantly keep pushing and above all give back and also teach my son the importance of doing the same.

What Next?

With your support, we can build Muiruri and his family a decent home. Kindly help us put up a structure for Muiruri. Below is a list of the building materials we require. You can contact us on +254715962231 or email me at joyruthwahome@gmail.com to donate building materials, clothes, food etc. Also, feel free to send Mpesa as well, to the number above.

Once we have all the materials ready, we shall provide a date on when the construction kicks off for anyone who wants to take part. 😊

• Iron sheets (Mabati) 32 Pieces @500 = 15,000
• Timber Poles 250 ksh =5000
• A door @2000 ksh= 2000Ksh
• Windows 2 @1500 each =3000ksh
• 80 tonnes of building blocks/stones @40 Ksh per stone = 3200 ksh
• 6 Bags of cement @600ksh =3600
• 3 tonnes of sand @1200 ksh =3600
• 4 inch Nails @ 5kgs @200=1000 ksh
  1. Roofing nails 5kg at 250 ksh =1250 ksh
  2. 3 Inch and 2 inch nails @200 3kg =600ksh
• 5 hinges 200ksh = 1000

Thank you guys for reading! Love & Light! Bless!  😊😊😊