About

How it Started…

In June 2017 we linked with Tushinde Children’s Trust, a Kenyan-based charity run from England that has been providing support for families in Mathare slums of Nairobi for almost ten years. Megan Wright set up Tushinde when she was a nurse working in Nairobi, noticing just how difficult it was for mums to keep their children safe whilst they were at work earning enough money to keep them fed and housed.

In Mathare slums babies and toddlers were being left alone or with older siblings who were not at school, or maybe with informal carers sometimes with 30 babies to one exhausted carer in one tiny shack. The children were therefore malnourished, withdrawn and often burnt or injured despite all efforts to care for them. Before doing anything we needed to know what impact having a day care had on the children’s health. We analysed one year of data from children attending another local daycare programme and this provided the proof we needed to start Fi Day Care plus a feeding programme.

The Situation…

In November 2017 we started in a small dark empty shack with nothing but a few plastic chairs and two bunk beds for babies to lie on. The floor was dirt and the children were still and silent. Babies were often dropped off wearing a paper bag as a nappy the mother had nothing else. I stood in this dark empty room and saw a small boy creating his entertainment by running a piece of plastic across the wall making car noise.

Our Progress…

Firstly we doubled the size of the daycare by renting the shack next door and putting down a lino floor. Next, we tripled the number of carers so that there were no more than 10 children per carer. Then we commissioned other women to set up their own business to provide two meals a day, plus help with feeding. The carers are paid slightly more than if they were undertaking domestic chores and are trained in first aid. Mums pay a small amount for the daycare, it is not free, however, if they have not been picked up for work that day they are not expected to pay.  Nobody abuses this process as it is a vast but tight-knit community and we do not wish to contribute to debt.

Our visit in June 2018 showed an amazing transformation in the children and the building. It’s noisy, entertaining and educating.  There is a water bucket outside for hand washing before any food is eaten, there are pictures and prompts on the wall and plenty of cuddles for all.

Fi Day Care is the Start…thank you.

Fi Day Care now supports up to 30 families; providing two meals a day and a safe space for babies and pre-school children, thus allowing their parents (usually very young single mothers) to work so they can provide for their families. The mum’s work is not stable and they stand on the side of the road waiting to be picked up for work to earn approximately £1.20 per day for various domestic chores. They have no other way of earning a living. They wish for their child’s life to be different and are willing to make that happen.

From Tushinde…

In the slums of Africa, child care is a problem. The slum population is transient, so often there is no family network to take care of small babies and toddlers whilst the mum goes to work. Most women living in the slums are single mums and have low levels of literacy and education so therefore cannot get work that pays more than £1.50 a day. With that £1.50, the mother will have to feed her children and pay the rent and school fees. There is little left over for caring for their preschool children.

Some women will leave their baby completely alone, locked in a room for up to 12 hours. Others will take their child to an informal daycare. This is where a local woman will look after up to 20 babies at once in her house, which is rarely larger than a 10″x 10″ shack with a dirt floor and no running water.

Tushinde knows the importance of the first thousand days of a child’s life; from conception until his or her second birthday. The level of nutrition and stimulation and protection from disease in this precious time can have an enduring impact on the child’s growth and intelligence.

If a child is left in a room, staring at the ceiling for hours on end and not eating from morning to evening, it can cause lasting damage. If a child is in a crowded room and exposed to multiple infections as well as not being fed or changed, this too can have a negative impact.

Research by Oxfam and our research has found that slum malnutrition rates in this age group are around 25%. There are two types of malnutrition; acute and chronic (undernutrition). Acute malnutrition can lead to death either directly or due to the child’s inability to fight off disease. Undernutrition, never quite getting enough food, can lead to developmental delay, stunting in growth and low intelligence.

How you can help…

Fiona Foundation for Kids is supporting Tushinde by funding a second daycare unit called Fi Day Care. Tushinde has had great success in operating the current Day Care Programme and with your help a second unit can be maintained…thank you.

Donate here