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Heavy responsibilities for elder aunt among the Logooli

With Seenge Fonesi. She is the elder grand daughter of Isagi and elder daughter of Amugasya. She is often present in functions involving the family of Amugasya. Pic taken on 18/4/2024. The elder sister soon becomes the elder aunt. It is this “seenge munene” (elder aunt) tag that she is tied to many cultural responsibilities – back home. To her marital family she may appear as any other woman, but she is not so in the eyes of her people. Marriage does not steal her away as it would happen with other daughters of the old man. To her, as days go and the old man and woman of the estate are dependents, she becomes increasingly present.  Her brothers also need her for almost all traditional markings. They are marrying, she needs to welcome the new wife. They are giving birth, she needs to come to midwife or “bless” the new born. They are paying dowry she needs to lead the women delegate. There is a conflict she needs to come for a hearing.  And many others. Traditions does not expect her to
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FIKISHA; Taking sons from streets

Picture source; Fikisha Facebook wall
On Tuesdays and Fridays the street boys of Kawangware and environs know where to gather. They gather for life skills sessions from Fikisha Group. They are given time to have a shower and a meal at the Kawangware Lutheran Church under the leadership of Pastor Tengecha.

With a ten-year social responsibility tag, Fikisha group has been able to rise from a dream to a reality of taking care of the special people who make neighbours and a community in Dagoretti constituency.  Frank, the director among Mercy, Barack and Moses have steered the wheel of making the ‘hardest’ of the boys become humble and rational. They are sons of Kawangware- growth and living- with real experiences of what the street boys go through hence adequate problem know-how.

Drug abuse as the main topic in every time talk is aimed at increasing the boys’ knowledge of its effects and how to resist from the urge. It is the drugs that make them be least sensitive to the environment and self. Most of the time they are absent-minded or sleeping at the gathering time- this is also showed in the way they answer to questions or raise opinions; most are divergent and aim to make jokes. The facilitator has to keep on waking the dozing eyes and be very brief in talks. Some easily start a fight and their talk is often of obscene language. The big boys are prone to harassing the small ones.

Reconnection is the immediate help that has succeeded to some families. There are other cases where though the boys spend nights at home, they spent days on streets. Education is not their substance and most are lower primary dropouts. Therefore as they come for teachings from their friends and mentors in Fikisha, they are also inculcated into a fellowship system that challenges them to be better.

Using groups to internally explore their capabilities increases their performance for the two days in a week. The ironical groups are; Nyati, Ndovu, Simba, Kiboko and Chui- big five animals. The groups are of at least five people (Averagely 30 boys are expected at every gathering). The groups carry out manual activities as cooking, cleaning, order and setting examples to others. Group leaders are encouraged to  be effective in the output of a group. Drawing has also been an outreach activity with the boys away from other retreat plans.

On a personal note, the boys were mostly talking in Kikuyu. Kiswahili and English are foreign. This brings me to the dilemma of two extremes; kikuyus are land owners and business people in the country. This is in line with an article I did before. Here are the effects of the capitalism- opportunism. Kawangware is occupied majorly by Luhya community. Though they pass through low capital hurdles, they still have a family touch on issues as drugs and run away from home.

Someone may ask if girls are victims too. Yes they are. But the society isn’t yet porous enough to allow them on the street; and nature is still intact with us. Who knows if they sleep in the day and stand on the highways at night? Street life is not a ‘normal’ act but a society’s causing and needs adaptation.

Like any other visional organization, Mercy, the Programmes Director said that they are looking forward to a centre where they can give wholistic care to the victims. The Tuesday and Friday contact days are not enough to monitor change. It is taking longer than expected.


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