How Yatima Outreach Organization is transforming the lives of Orphans and Vulnerable children in Mathare slums
Mathare Slum
Mathare is a slum in Nairobi which is the capital city of Kenya. It has a population of approximately 500,000 people. The predominant communities in Mathare are the Luos, Kikuyus and Luhyas . The slum is characterized by extreme poverty, abuse of alcohol and illegal drugs, child abuse, poor hygiene and sanitation among other issues. To respond to these needs; several community based organizations exist to address these needs. Yatima Outreach is one such Organization responding to the needs of Orphans and Vulnerable Children through enhancing access to education holistically. This has immensely transformed the lives of OVC’s and their families living within Mathare.
The community has also benefited from Yatima Outreach Programmes in form of job opportunities which came in handy during construction of Patmos School’s new Building. They have also benefited through regular distribution of clean and safe water for domestic use as well as relief food during the outbreak of Covid 19 pandemic. This has improved their living standards and thus appreciate the work and contributions made by Yatima Outreach.
Patmos School
Patmos school begun in 2007 through the efforts Mr Richard Wanjala the school administrator and a group of dedicated local community members who shared a common vision to support children coming from marginalized backgrounds through education. Despite operating under exceptionally difficult circumstances, the school has managed to thrive due to the commitment of the former head teacher now the school administrator, board of management and the teaching staff. In 2014, Yatima Outreach Organization collaborated with Patmos School to promote the vision of supporting orphans and vulnerable through holistic interventions. These interventions would later be categorized under the 7 thematic areas which form the basis through which Yatima Outreach Organization implements it’s programmes .
Our Interventions at Patmos School
Education
We have a new ultra – modern school learning facility to ensure that children learn in a conducive and friendly school environment. Teachers and learners also have access to e learning facilities and materials. School learning materials are also provided to ensure that children have access to the learning materials required. To ensure that children play in a safe and friendly environment a modern play ground is also put in place as play is very essential in the growth and development of a child.
Food & Nutrition
To ensure improved nutritional status for our children, the school runs a feeding programme where children are able to access 2 meals in a day. This includes nutritious porridge for breakfast and a well balanced diet for lunch. Through this we are able to reduce malnutrition among our children since at home, some are nt able to get 3 meals in a day due to the vulnerable backgrounds
Physco-Social Support
Mathare being an urban slum it is characterized by a lot of issues such as child abuse, domestic violence, drug and substance abuse, among other related social related issues. As such, our children face a lot of challenges due to some of these social issues. this contributes to high-school dropout rates, regular absenteeism, teenage pregnancies and earl marriages. To help our children cope with these issues and to ensure improved school retention, our social workers and teachers offer psycho-social support and mentorship to the children. Through this intervention, we have achieved improved school retention and concentration of children in class
Water Hygiene and Sanitation
Through our outreach programmes, the community is assured of consistent clean water supply through the erected borehole at Patmos School as well as provision of liquid soap. This is geared towards improved hygiene and sanitation in the area as well as improved health for Mathare residents.
Missions
The ultimate goal of mission trips is to provide hope, love, exposure and care to orphans and vulnerable children through mecal camps, games and learning materials to our children