Thank you so much for Chain Reaction Foundation’s donation of AUD $100,000 this year. Your support will make a significant and lasting impact on the lives of children from So They Can’s Miti Mingi Children’s Village in Kenya.
Because of the COVID-19 global pandemic the children and staff from Miti Mingi Village were sent to their extended families in April 2020. Our Critical Incident Management team made this decision after a great deal of consideration and consultation, at the international and local levels and following the directive from the Kenyan Government that, where possible, children in children’s homes be released back to extended family.
Our Miti Mingi Village children are both orphaned and vulnerable children, meaning many children have extended family members who come and visit them on our monthly open day and who they spend the Christmas break with, always overseen by our social workers. For the duration of the time our children are away from the Village, our social workers are working closely with those with whom the children are staying, ensuring those families can provide for the children both financially and emotionally. All are contactable via phone.
As a result of the pandemic, all schools in Kenya closed down in March as per the Kenyan Government directive. While the general anticipation was for the schools to re-open in July/August at the beginning of July, the Government of Kenya announced all schools will remain closed until January 2021.
All the Miti Mingi Village children continue staying with their extended families with continuous support from So They Can through food packages, clothing and psychological care. All the children and their wellbeing are closely monitored by So They Can social workers over the phone and at least once every 2 months through a personal visit. The social workers also monitor the children’s home study and offer psychological support.
There are 21 standard 8 pupils among the 81 Miti Mingi Village children who regularly receive So They Can home learning packs to enable them to continue their preparation for Kenya Certificate of Primary Education and transition to secondary schools.
These paper based learning kits are critical in the disadvantaged communities that So They Can works with as access to digital devices and internet is not available and online learning strategies so widely used in the developed world to continue education are not an option.
So They Can’s plans for the rest of the year include a structured life skills program for the 81 MMV and community children. This will cover health and personal hygiene, positive social relationships, communication and public speaking, goal setting and achievement, decision making, conflict resolution and study skills.
Thanks so much for playing such an integral part in changing the lives of the children from Miti Mingi Village, the impact will be forever.
Kindest regards,
Cassandra Treadwell
So They Can, CEO
