The largest urban slum in Africa, Kibera, is approximately the size of Central Park in New York. The neighbourhood, where no resident earns more than 1$ per day and clean water is a luxury, sits in the very centre of the modern city of Nairobi, Kenya and is home to thousands of children deprived of education, food and carefree days.
The Lunchbowl Network, a charity supporting vulnerable children and orphans of Kibera, is working hard to change this. Its teachers and counsellors are always there for their young mentees.
Established in 2006, The Lunchbowl Network has opened two Angel Kindergartens, a safe and cheerful space where every worker is more than a teacher. Here the little ones can have a true childhood and are saved from hunger, which in Kibera is a horrible reality and an everyday struggle.
They have fun. They dance and play, they talk to their teachers. They learn. They live and are given hope for a better, brighter future. A future that is so much more than fighting for survival.
Today, when all of us are under the pressure of the Coronavirus outbreak, those living in areas like Kibera need support the most and become even more vulnerable. The aim of The Lunchbowl Network is to provide various help to as many people as possible.
All schools in Kenya are currently closed because of the Coronavirus. This includes the schools run by the charity, as well as their rugby program and the Saturday Dinner Program due to the large numbers attending.
In response to the crisis, the charity has set up a food bank in one of their schools. Every week they now provide food packs to the families who are most in need. Currently this is for 74 families, but the number is set to increase as the crisis continues. Each family, each week are given beans, rice and flour for making ugali.
Find out more about all the amazing things The Lunchbowl Network does by visiting their website.
