Ramah Care Centre

RAMAH CARE CENTRE

EDUCATION: Being situated in a slum area the church was moved the many needy and destitute children in the slum and came to birth with Ramah Care Centre School. The name “Ramah” comes from the Bible (Matt 2:18) meaning “A mother crying for children” so we have a heart for children.

Ramah is a day school offering Lower and Primary classes and a balanced diet feeding program that is in need of support from well wishers. Our goal is to help destitute children and orphans to meet their physical, material, educational and spiritual needs. This includes fee sponsorship, feeding, clothing and school supplies.

VISION: Making education affordable and accessible to all children in the community for economic, social, moral, spiritual and intellectual improvement.

MISSION: To educate, empower and impact neglected and disadvantaged children, orphans and needy children with life’s values and skills for a bright future. To reduce illiteracy among poor children, orphans and youth through formal, non-formal and skills training.

MOTTO: Knowledge is power for without it people perish (Hosea 4:6)  Remember by helping one of these children you will be changing the face of our society and thus assisting us to fulfill our vision for this forgotten generation.  Since the work is enormous for both the school and church we would like to welcome you and hear from you what you can do and how you can help.

INTRODUCTION: Welcome to Ramah Care Centre School the community based project whose mission is to help destitute orphans and disadvantaged children to meet their physical, material, educational and spiritual needs. These children are from poor families, some are orphans and refugees.

The project was initiated in 2002 by Living Gospel Church. Through outreach programs until its registration in 2004, the church was moved by the enormous need from the community in the surrounding slums of Mukuru in Nairobi.

LOCATION: Ramah is situated at Eastlands of Nairobi, Embakasi constituency Mukuru location, along Outering Road at Living Gospel Church Kware.

[1] OBJECTIVES: By the end of a ten year period, children and youth in the Mukuru slums will have benefited in the following ways:

 To create awareness of drug abuse  To reduce the increasing number of street children in Mukuru and other adjacent slums in Embakasi  To give basic education to HIV/AIDS orphans  To enhance community participation mobilization targeting different community needs such as, environment, hygiene and training in behavioral changes  To educate community on child rights and abuse with emphasis on sexual abuse  To sensitize cases of malnutrition, immunization etc.

MALNUTRITION: The UN has stressed that malnutrition and HIV/AIDS are the biggest problem facing Africa. This is also the major challenge facing our community a shortage of balanced diets. It also applies to the poverty situation, whereas, there are few programs in the slums that address issues of malnutrition among children, thus the majority of the children suffer from malnutrition.

HIV/AIDS AND INFANT MORTALITY: The number of infected infants has rapidly increased in the area due to the high number of HIV cases. The problem needs to be addressed to mothers, youth and children who are subject to the menace. Majority of cases are from the slums due to lack of clear sensitization programs as most communities stick to culture. Most children have turned into orphans and are too young to cater for themselves and also lack ways to address the stigma of being AIDS orphans. At times these children are not allowed to join formal school due to the same stigma.

POVERTY: This is an area that really hinders rehabilitation programs. Since most mothers turn to extreme poverty and become hopeless, they are misled sexually adding to a rising birthrate and consequently, they are unable to care for the children. It is a true fact that half of Kenyans under the poverty line. Though the Government has laid down poverty eradication programs, there are no laid strategies as how the issue can be addressed in the slums.

DRUGS: Youth and children have turned to drug abuse to reduce frustration. Also, this is one of the most sensitive menaces in the community. The outcome of drug abuse has increased due to parenthood domestic violence and rampant crime. This hinders rehabilitation efforts in various centers as children live in drug abuse zones and drugs are cheap and readily available.

GENDER IMBALANCE: Most people do not value the need for the girl’s education and will always take boys to school, leaving the girls back at home. This is even seen in political structures as politicians are men and not women. This originates from cultural background and stigma. Most social programs address boy’s problems and argue that girls are expensive to cater for and these subject them to abuse, both physical and sexual.

[2] CHALLENGES: The social status of the community pupil’s economic status is very low. Most people are displaced from surrounding upcoming estates like Imara Daima, Kenya Pipeline, Fedha and Donholm and other sides due to criminal eradication and development. They own no land, no proper housing and some are refugees and squatters living in substandard conditions. 75% of the people are jobless or doing illegal business. Many are single mothers who work as barmaids, prostitutes and illegal brewers of illicit alcohol. Girls have landed into slums because their culture does not allow them to inherit their ancestral lands. With these problems everyone is struggling for survival even to the point of using wrong means that ends them in greater problems than earning a living. The youth and children are always the sufferers since they are dependants. Congestion is also a problem in our slums. The number of people is too high compares to the social services available. People share a single room, up to four or five people. This promotes immorality and lack of family planning. It results in some forcing the girls to get married at a tender age to get the bride price. The more we take a set as a group towards this dehumanizing menace, the more we fulfill our mission to help the children.