Kibera, arguably the largest slum in the world, is home to many vulnerable children
Mama Margaret surrounded by Tenderfeet kids and volunteer teachers
The front entrance to the Tenderfeet school in Kibera
The kids at school singing welcome songs for visitors
Without the school the children may not eat as regularly as they do
Faith, a most delightful girl, is an orphan whose home was burnt in the January 2008 election riots
Teachers Karen and Elizabeth are warm and funny and help Margaret create a wonderful atmosphere for the children
Mama Margaret can't walk ten feet in the slum without being greeted by people whose lives she has touched
Children at Riruta, a second school opened after the riots, learn about Australia
My day in class – I learnt a lot on the day I went back to school
The kids enjoyed their little koala friends
The back of the school with scorch marks on the right. It was set afire during the riots
Tenderfeet Education Centre
Only six kilometres from a thriving African city is one of the world’s biggest slums, a place with little sanitation, employment or hope for the future.
In an environment that should fill a child with despair, over 60 children live, laugh and learn. They eat twice a day and love to sing for visitors. Through the efforts of one amazing local woman they thrive.
Mama Margaret Nyabuto started Tenderfeet in 2000 and has worked tirelessly to help children that live in the area she grew up in.
A most remarkable woman, small in stature but big in heart, she has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of so many children and has paved the way for them to create fulfilling lives with good education and a strong sense of self-worth.
But Tenderfeet does more than just educate and teach the children to read and write. The children’s health is looked after and they get to eat twice a day.
It’s difficult to explain what it’s like to enter a place so far removed from what you know, a place where over 1,000,000 people live with minimal sanitation and no garbage removal, and to enter a small schoolroom that is made from sheets of corrugated iron and has dozens of children jammed into it.
All I can say to you is that I have never felt so uplifted or inspired as I sat amongst the kids and felt the joy and happiness that children can only have when an atmosphere of love and security has been built for them.
If you are seeking to support a charity where 100% of your personal donations go straight to those you wish to help, then I can personally vouch for Tenderfeet and for the work of Margaret and those that support her.
If you can find it in your heart to support them, you can visit their website at www.tenderfeetkids.org or contact me direct.
Craig Garratt
Gumption