Katie’s Story
A social worker from our partner charity Macheo met Katie, aged 17, last year. She lives in the semi-urban region of Ruiru, in a place known as Gitambaya. Katie is a mother of two children aged two years, and six months. She hadn't received any prenatal care for either child, resulting in unassisted home births.
She is married to a husband who shows little concern for the family. He works as a car wash attendant but fails to provide for the family. He returns home only sporadically, leaving Katie and the children with nothing. Katie used to sleep on a dilapidated mattress and frequently went to bed hungry with her children.
We were able to provide an urgent cash transfer to Katie, which helped her access food and other essential household items, including beds and mattresses for her and her children. Once her situation was stabilised, we provided counselling and referred her to Macheo’s child protection intervention, through which she has received guidance on reporting her husband's actions to the local children's office in Ruiru.
Inspired by the wraparound support she has received from the teams at Macheo, Katie decided to return home, and has settled in a house near her mother. At this point, her social worker showed her how to set up her own business, including guidance on saving the profits. Katie applied for and received seed capital to start a greengrocer's shop – she supplements that with casual jobs locally.
Her life, and those of her two children has been transformed. “I am so happy. I would never want to return to the life I once lived,” she says.
Below are the costs of helping Katie
Facilitate emergency family support - £12.65
Individual counselling - £32.36
Assist teenage mothers - £115.90
Improve physical living conditions - £19.09
Rescue from abuse and neglect - £64.31
Family economic empowerment - £90.28
Total cost - £334.59
None of this would be possible without the ongoing support of our donors and supporters. On behalf of Katie and many others, thank you for all you have already done for the families we work with. We look forward to your continuing support in the future.