August, 2006 UPDATE FROM CHARLES MULLY, MCF Over the last 8 months, we have witnessed the existing MCF network in Kenya expand as we reach out to more under privileged children, orphans, destitute, abandoned, neglected, and child mothers.
Over the past 17 years, MCF has witnessed over 1,680 children successfully pass through the program. Within our rehabilitation programs in Vipingo in Mombasa, Kipsongo slum in Kitale and Kangundo, MCF caters for 219 and 196 and 198 children respectively, thus bringing the total number of children under the MCF umbrella at this time, to 1,289.
Our agriculture department has been expanding by the day. MCF will have its first harvest from the newly completed greenhouse in the next two weeks!!.We are expecting the greenhouse will assist us in having a higher output and increase in productivity. There will also be minimal spread of disease as we use pumice stone rather than soil. The greenhouse will also help us save the scarce water at our disposal due to the introduction of the drip irrigation system in the greenhouse.
Ndalani, being a semi arid area with scarce of water, has been experiencing relatively cloudy and cool weather, with no rain. Several nearby families planted crops soon after the rains came in March/April this year. However, the rains did not last long enough to see the crops grow to maturity. Crops have dried up at very young stages, indicating a possibility that this area will experience the much dreaded drought once more in October this year.
We are happy to have been able to harvest some water in the MCF Yatta dam since the last short rains in March/ April 2006. We also introduced some fish fingerlings in the dam and will have the first harvest of fish for the children in the next few weeks!
We are planning on expanding the fish farming project by introducing fish ponds around the main dam. Plans are in the advanced stage to send one of our boys to USA to be trained on aquaculture for a period of 3 months, and we will be able effectively improve the performance of our fish projects.
On 26th April 2006, we held a very colorful graduation ceremony of 103 girls from MCF Yatta who gained qualifications in hairdressing, dressmaking, clothing design, micro finance, and agriculture.
We hope that the skills that they learnt from MCF over the last 3 years will enable them start a new life and become self reliant as well as be able to contribute positively towards the support of their families and communities around them.
The number of destitute orphans, street children, commercial sex workers and all other categories of children in need of care and protection is rising at an alarming rate in Kenya.
We believe that we can make a difference in the lives of the young women, including child mothers. It is always a big challenge to reintegrate them into MCF rehabilitation programme away from their former life full of hopelessness and immorality.
Two of our MCF beneficiaries graduated on 29th July 2006 from 2 different Universities. One of the boys graduated with a first class honors degree in Agriculture and Education while the other graduated with a degree in Theology. This is a great encouragement and a great breakthrough for the MCF fraternity to see young men and women who were once regarded as the scum of society, graduate from Universities and colleges with such good grades and the determination to change their lives as well as the lives of their families positively.
We thank you for your support for these young people. We will have 8 more graduation ceremonies this year from different Universities and colleges all over the country.
We are indeed very proud parents!
