Social Outreach Ministry

Province

The Anglican Church of Kenya

Diocese

All Saints Cathedral Diocese

Goal

Three self-help groups each hold their meetings once a week; during these meetings, they take decisions on the development programmes they will run; set their priorities, adopt work plans, collect member funds, pay for common objectives, and share out responsibilities. They each have a constitution, elect a committee and, in relevant cases, sub-committees for specific activities (such as water, the community nursery school, etc.)

Activity

The priorities adopted by the self-help groups at the beginning were as follows:

  • Latrines
  • Water supplies
  • School Feeding Programme for the nursery school
  • Income generating projects
  • Housing
  • Education
  • Health
  • Agriculture
  • Spiritual Growth
  • Food security

Outcomes

The communities have made much progress in achieving their priorities:

 

  1. Since 1996, they have built 120 latrinessituated in all three communities. Those located in Mateso are WCs connected to the Dandora sewerage.

 

  1. Tujisaidie built a waterpipe to the community plot in 1996, plus a water tank filling up during the night. This was extended to all plots in 2000. Ex-Muoroto laid a water pipe into its community plot in 1999, and Matimamu laid its first water pipe in 2005. Each of the three communities installed a new water tank in 2006, so as to be better prepared for the recurrent droughts.

 

  1. A feeding programmefor the nursery school children in Tujisaidie and Matimamu has been in operation since 1994.

 

  1. Several small income-generating projectsare ongoing. Craft makers produce items for sale in Kenya, and abroad through our Link Churches. The young mothers have registered as Tujiinue Young Mothers’ Self-Help Group (Kayole) and Mwihoko Self-Help Group (Dandora).

 

  1. The UDP has been helping the neediest community members to improve their housing.

 

  1. Many students have been educated through secondary school. One student has achieved a Master’s degree in Economics from Kenyatta University. Another is studying for his BA in Theology (Urban Ministry) at Carlile College Nairobi. Another has completed her course in Media Studies.

 

The UDP supports the Tujisaidie Nursery School, particularly by providing a hot lunch to the children through its school feeding programme, and educational tours sponsored by a friend of the UDP.

 

  1. The UDP employs a community health careworker. Several community members have been trained in primary health care and make sure that community members are in good health, as well as looking after the environment (clean-ups, tree planting, etc.). The UDP refers patients to a Christian health facility and works in co-operation with several doctors volunteering part of their time and a hospital offering free check-ups.

 

  1. The UDP has been able to obtain grants which have helped the three communities through periods of agricultural crisis, i.e. drought and flooding, by providing new seeds and interim food grains and extending the school feeding programme to the sick and the elderly. It has planted trees in the communities and takes care of the environment.