Blessed residents welcome rare visitors

Pius Maundu

@piusmaundu

Blessed residents welcome rare visitors

Brenton, 8, hangs out with Thomas Wambua and puppies at Blessed Children Centre, Makindu, 170 km South East of Nairobi. Visitors and hosts had good time when visitors came calling. Photo. Pius Maundu

Pomp and glee characterized Saturday afternoon at Blessed Children Centre when visitors drawn from various parts of Makueni County came calling, bringing with them goodies, and participating in a gaming duel. 

Under the auspices of Makueni County Sharing Forum, the visitors led by Mr. Dominic Maweu, were received by the facility’s founder Ms Zipporah Wavinya.

“Blessed Children Centre is our small way of responding to the growing need for all children to acquire stable foundations, various hurdles in the society notwithstanding,”  she told the visitors, after the dust from the acapela of boys and girls welcoming them in song and jig settled.  

Home to children peviously on the streets, the centre, situated in Kimooini village, a stone throw from Makindu Town, opened its doors in 2013.

 “But the project had been ongoing hitherto,” noted the beaming Zipporah, popularly known as Zippy, an alumni of African Christian University, who swears by God and charitable entities for her present social stature.  

“Presently, we’ve touched the lives of an upwards of 170 children aged between two and eighteen who are already enrolled in elementary, primary and secondary levels of education.” 

One of its first entrants has qualified to join the university. 

Under the shade of an acacia tree at the heart of the home,  visitors packaged blitz sandwiched in narratives for the children. Praising the decision to remain in the home, Chris Yulu told the children that God, Zippy, and friends meant well for them. 

Clementine Wavinya and Charity Wavinya extolled the need for brotherliness. “If I were not friendly to my kin, I would not have acquired college education,” advised Wavinya, momentarily lost in reminiscence. 

But it was discipline that took the lion’s share of the recommendations. “To me, discipline is very important if one is to lead a meaningful life,” this was Big Boss, the moniker fashioned for Charles Mutyambai during the event.  

“Where we come from, there are people who did not do well in school. But they are doing well in their undertakings thanks to their discipline.”

Moses Kivungi send the 40-strong audience in mirth when he recalled an unfortunate childhood experience. He had attempted to break open his family radio set to ‘feed the people inside’ on ugali and milk. It earned him rebuking and thorough spanking from his Dad. 

As if on cue with Kivungi’s predicament, Maweu reiterated that education is an antidote to ignorance. 

At the volley ball pitch, mingling between visitors and hosts heightened when two teams, with members selected from either side, dueled. Refereed by Dominic Maweu, and enthusiastically spectated, the match ended in a barren draw. 

Visitors only started leaving when the sun went down Chyullu ranges. But even as they rolled their mats, it was obvious they had not had enough. Thomas Wambua said:

“Certainly, we shall be coming back. But in the meantime, I’ll be sneaking here often laden with sweet bananas.”