Base visits

Friday, 23rd team went out to Eastleigh, and split into two groups. This helps to cover the city area widely, and reach more street youths. One groups went to a common known market, Gikomba area. There had been disturbances in the area, some houses were burnt down and business demolished. A base is located near there and so many streets families live on the garbage heap that is there. We started visiting with the streets kids there. As Jane Abuti was talking, we heard gun shots, the police was trying to quite down the groups that were starting form up in protest. Since we were with street kids near that area, some police officers came to us saying we move our meeting to another place. A crowd had started gathering, curious onlookers were also interested in what we were telling the streets guys. When time for distributing the bread that MITS catering student had made, curious bystanders jumped on the bag that had the bread and chaos started, so we never got the chance to distribute the bread evenly to the street guys there.

Same Friday, the Eastleigh team had a case to handle, one girl had been dropped by the District Children Officer at our center. Issue is the DCO got the girl, Santana who is 14 yrs old, from the mother. The mother claims that Santana was involved in commercial sex and wanted to find her a place like MITS to help her change these norms. The Eastleigh team, did further investigations and found out that Santana's mother had been asked by the DCO a bribe of Ksh. 20,000 (USD240), so the DCO could help with allocation of Santana to a children's home. Santana's mother confessed that the DCO had initially asked for Ksh. 40,000, but she haggled to half and promised the DCO to find the other half later on. The DCO also was asked a couple of questions and later realized that she had also shared the said amount with the local police. A fight almost broke out between Santana's mother and the DCO after being told by our team there that we never ask for any amount to enroll students in to our program.

Later on Saturday, Jane Njeri an older lady of 24 yrs living on the streets was undergoing medication in our center. She had a tooth ache and was taking strong pain killers. As she came for her medication, Byron and Evans were getting busy trying to get her some food because she had not eaten some days in connection with the pain.

As Byron and Evan had prepared something liquid for her to take, they rushed it to her only to find her down on the floor, dead.

Evans and Byron reported the matter to the local police and took the body to the Morgue.