Many children suffer from hunger, which affect their physical development, social and also academic performance. Macheo supports such children through feeding program. The following movie takes you through introduction of the feeding program at Matunda primary school which is one of the many schools that benefit from this program……

By Teuntje Koomen

At my last day in Thika, and with my research in Kiandutu slum completed, I can look back at my stay and the course of my research with a lot of content.

Although I have had some challenges, my research went more smoothly than I expected. Already in the first part, the structured interviews, I was surprised by the welcoming attitude of the women and their willingness to participate. Sometimes women even shared a lot of personal details with me and were more than willing to help me in getting a grasp of the dynamics in Kiandutu. Other times interviewing was a challenge, but every single interview was interesting and brought me a step closer to answering my research questions.

Kiandutu Slum in Thika

In total I was able to interview 60 women. This gave me quite some information on life in Kiandutu; on the difficulties and challenges, the social security, relations and cooperation in the community, and the way in which women make use of organizations trying to improve their well-being. I very much enjoyed interacting with them and I am thankful that they invited me into their houses and also into their lives.

Teuntje (right front ) – during one of the interviews

After these 60 interviews I performed 8 in-depth interviews. These gave me a richer understanding of the social dynamics and how and why behind my earlier findings. These interviews were more personal, because I tried to address the current social dynamics in Kiandutu through the personal life stories of the women. With every participant I talked in 1.5 hours about her past, her present life and her visions of the future, while connecting this to the current situation in Kiandutu. Again I was surprised by the nice conversations, their openness, and the insights and richer understanding they gave me.

For the last and most challenging phase of my research, I have organized two focus group sessions with two different groups of women. One group was actively organizing activities in Kiandutu to increase collective well-being. The other group of women was not actively undertaking such activities. In these group discussions I find out more about the constraints that are keeping them from doing so. Interviewing these groups was quite a challenge, but with the help I have received from Macheo it all turned out fine.

Macheo staff (Center) in Kiandutu

I can look back at a wonderful and interesting time that has brought me so many new insights and has taught me many valuable lessons. It has been an experience that will stay with me for life. I would like to thank Macheo for giving me the opportunity to conduct my research and for all the support I have received. Through that, you have helped to make it possible to graduate for my Master’s in International Development Studies in August of this year.

Asanteni, nimeshukuru sana!

Macheo staff and volunteer visited Gatuanyaga primary school during a sports competition event where various schools from the district participated. Gatuanyaga primary school is one of  the 18  schools that benefit from Macheo education program.

Enjoy this movie!

Since the establishment of Macheo Children’s Centre in 2005, we have been striving to become less financially dependent. This prompted Macheo to start income generating projects (IGPs) which include growing vegetables in green houses, organising safari’s, breeding dogs and dairy farming.

Joost – Giving yoghurt to Macheo children

On Wednesday 18^th April 2012, Macheo’s employees and children were happy to taste the first sample of Laki Laki yoghurt; a new income generating strategy that’s in its pilot stage. In this project, Laki Laki “The perfect sunriser for everyone” buys fresh milk from Macheo and processes it into yoghurt. The sample yoghurt came in three flavours; mango, strawberry and vanilla.

Through this partnership, Macheo looks forward to a better future in dairy farming with the milk returns improving after value addition. This will lead to more sustainability of our many child-focused programs and Macheo as a whole.

Laki Laki is mainly targeting the tourist market, and since Macheo will be mentioned on the bottles, we also hope to achieve more exposure for our cause.

Very soon you will find Laki Laki yoghurt stocked in Kenya petrol stations, lodges and hotels. We invite you to buy Laki Laki yoghurt and in that way help Macheo realize her mission which is “to empower and protect vulnerable children and their communities so that these children can lead a bright future”.
As you can see from the pictures our children really enjoyed the yoghurt! And they were very curious about the process of yoghurt-making, so we are also planning a trip to the Laki Laki factory.

For more information about Laki Laki products please visit www.lakilaki.nl