Hi, I'm Emily and I work as Cabin Crew for British Airways.

I took a trip to Nairobi with work in early October 2018. I filled a suitcase with clothes, shoes and toys, to deliver to the children at the Mukuru Promotion Centre alongside my colleagues. BA Crew have been doing this for a number of years and I was overwhelmed by the incredible reaction this had among the organisation, and, after learning from Sister Mary (the wonderful Lady behind all of this) what life is really like in the Mukuru Slum - you will see an insight into this in the pictures I took on my trip (below) - I wanted to give more. This is where my fundraising comes in...

I will be running the Edinburgh Marathon on the 26th May 2019 in aid of the Mukuru Promotion Centre, in particular, the Songa Mbele na Masomo Centre within the Mukuru Slum.

Background:

Mukuru is the 2nd largest slum in Nairobi, it is home to over 700,000 people. Many of which live in closely packed, decrepit housing units, shared between a family of 4 or 5, often living off approximately £25 a month.

During my trip, I took a walk through the streets inside the slum, and I was shocked by the wonderful sense of community within the area, despite having very little in comparison to us in the UK.

Songa Mbele na Masomo Centre:

I was particularly touched by the work that is being done in the Songa Mbele na Masomo Centre to provide daycare and education to disadvantaged & disabled children living within the Mukuru slum.

These are some of the most vulnerable children in the community as, often, they experience marginalisation and stigmatisation due to the society approach to disabilities such as Cerebal Palsy, mental illnesses, Autism & learning difficulties such as dyslexia. This results in many vulnerable children being unable to receive adequate education to allow them to become employable in the future. Songa Mbele aims to reintegrate pupils into mainstream education by providing a year-long program to the most vulnerable.

I am hoping to raise (more than) £2000 to help towards building a multi-purpose hall within the centre. This will be used as a classroom, and meeting & training room for parents. Most importantly, it will create an area for Medical Professionals to examine the children, giving them the critical individual care and attention they require in order to be integrated within mainstream schools.

I have attached a few articles if you require any further information on the Mukuru Promotion Centre, the Songa Mbele na Masomo Centre & the other programmes involved within the MPC below:

Oxfam 2014: Mukuru Promotion Centre (Please note: This article was published in 2014, some details may have changed since then)

Mukuru 2018

Africa Direct: Songa Mbele na Masomo

Thank you for your donation.

Donations:

If you wish to donate any materials to the MPC please do not hesitate to contact me (Email: emilyanneharris@hotmail.com), I have compiled a list (below) of all the materials Sister Mary and the MPC require in order to continue to do their incredible work within the Mukuru Slum.

Thank you.