A group of young people from Kigumo Sub County, Murang’a have exploited social media platforms to mobilize resources towards helping needy people.
The group which was started in 2016 has helped in providing food, school fees, shelter among other forms of assistance to the destitute within their sub county.
When three founders of the group came up with idea of helping some needy cases, they did not know that their efforts would get big support from people within and outside of the locality.
One of the founders, Ms. Angela Muthoni reflects that she was still in college with two young people and were at first touched by a family which was jigger infested.
Muthoni stated that they visited the home treated the children who were infested with jiggers and bought the family food and clothing.
The other two, Richard Njoroge and Martin Ngure also contributed little money they had to support the needy family from Gachocho area.
After the first support, she narrated to KNA that they formed a group which they used as a tool to mobilize resources from friends and well-wishers to support some of needy cases within parts of Kigumo.
“We formed a WhatsApp group and also established a Facebook page where we invited some of our friends who help in mobilizing resources to support the destitute,” says Muthoni.
Currently, the group which is dubbed ‘Gachocho Foundation’, she added that has members from not only Murang’a but other counties, saying members are invited to contribute the little they have when a needy case is established.
“Since 2016, we have built houses for three families who were living in makeshift structures and provided not only food stuff but also medical care to some of aged person from the area,” she said.
“By end of each year, we organize a party for the needy elderly people who have no relatives to take care of them,” explained Muthoni who is a nurse at Murang’a county hospital.
The group, she observed, is paying school fees for four students studying in various secondary schools.
“Some members of our group in some cases they give jobs to children from the needy families so as to ensure they will continue supporting their people,” she further said.
The Community leaders, clergy and local administrators help the group to identify the destitute cases which needed urgent help.
The group founders said they were targeting to give dairy goats to some of the needy families to ensure they could get milk.
“Taking care of goats is not demanding like cows. We are currently planning how to buy dairy goats, one each for the families we are supporting,” narrated Muthoni.
The well-wishers were also helping the needy families to put up kitchen gardens to ensure they do not lack vegetables.
“As a way to give back to the society, we want the families we have touched to be independent but the challenge is to mobilize needed resources,” added Muthoni.
She projected that in future, the group which is already registered as a Community Based Organization (CBO) would be able to support needy cases out of the sub county, hence calling for more well-wishers to support their course.
By Bernard Munyao
