Page 24 - Oundle Life January 2021

MARAFIKI
TRUST
‘friendship’ in Swahili
Oundle residents Liz Turnbull
and Nicola Guise share a
passion for Kenya and visited
the Nairobi slums in 2016
where they met an inspirational
team of volunteers, themselves
former street children, who
were working with young street
children (aged 5-14) seeking to
reunite them with their families and introduce them into schools through a drop-in centre programme - the Real Hope Community Youth Organisation (RHYCO).
Fast forward to January 2020, Nicola and Liz have set up their own charity - Marafiki Trust (Charity Number: 1187949) - to support the RHYCO programme alongside a nearby centre for 8 boys with cerebral palsy.
Through generous donations, child sponsorship and grants, the charity has supported 74 children/61 RHYCO families
and the 8 boys at the Joyful Hearts Centre (JHC) through the COVID-19 pandemic. The children & their families have received food parcels, water and an education box of materials supplied by Oundle Rotary Club. A generous grant has enabled the RHYCO team to assist parents to get back on their feet through a
Parental Empowerment Programme.
COVID-19 has high- lighted a need for a ‘safe house’ for some of
the children who are currently living with
team members due to abuse and/or neglect at home. RHYCO wants to expand and help more children. Marafiki Trust are actively fundraising to support the acquisition of a new exclusive- use centre (Bella Ciao - meaning ‘beautiful welcome’) for the RHYCO programme with residential facilities for respite care.
Liz and Nicola are proud to say that every penny donated through Marafiki Trust goes to the projects in Kenya.
Their Just Giving page can be found here:
www.justgiving.com/campaign/ beautifulwelcome
E: hello@marafikitrust.org www.marafikitrust.org
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