How then do you describe a couple that hosts underage mothers, some of whom have a history of prostitution and petty crime?

Some of the girls who have benefitted from Wings of Compassion Centre. [PHOTOS: JENIPHER WACHIE/ STANDARD]

By BRIGID CHEMWENO

As we enter Daniel and Dorcas Njoroge’s homestead in Marurui, Nairobi, we are welcomed by babies playing in the compound, while their mothers work.

The underage mothers from the nearby Jua Kali slums are drawn here by the opportunity to go back to school, acquire skills through which they can become self-reliant, and change the course of their lives, as well as those of their children.

These young parents, some of them victims of sexual abuse, have undergone counselling, and are starting their lives afresh. In the group of 18 are four secondary school students hoping to achieve good grades so that they can pursue their dream careers, as well as 14 girls who are receiving training in various income-generating activities.

“We take in teenage girls under the age of 15 who have dropped out of school after getting pregnant. Sometimes, rape, drug abuse or prostitution has made the girl’s situation worse. We rehabilitate them and then take them back to school or enroll them in vocational colleges,” says Daniel, an ordained reverend.

Cases of pregnant girls being kicked out of home are rife in the Jua Kali slums, said to be home to at least 3,000 families. These homeless girls then become so desperate to make ends meet that they engage in any income-generating activity that comes their way, including prostitution and petty crime. Drugs help to dull the reality of their situation.

The plight of these teenage mothers is what inspired Daniel and his wife, Dorcas, to start the Wings of Compassion Centre in their home. The couple, whose four biological children are grown up, started taking in destitute girls in 2011.

“At first, it was not easy persuading people who were used to slum life where they could get quick money through unlawful and immoral ways to change their ways,” says Dorcas.

But with time, the mothers and their babies get used to a new life.

“Some have gone back to school and are doing well with their studies while others have been trained in hairdressing, tailoring and other trades.”

Some of the girls have left the centre to start a new and independent life.

FEEDING PROGRAMME

Though she had worked as a volunteer in many children’s homes, in 2011, Dorcas says she felt the need to go an extra mile in putting a smile on a desperate face.

She was spurred into action the day when, while on a walk with her husband, they found a one-year-old child rummaging through a dumping site in the slum.

“We picked up the baby and went round the slum looking for her mother. We came across eight girls chatting, and when they spotted us, one of them, who emerged to be the mother, offered to sell us the baby for Sh2,000,” recalls Dorcas.

After a lengthy conversation with the group, it became evident that the girls engaged in prostitution to get money for food.

“We identified the area where they lived and started a feeding programme for the young mothers and their babies in our home. As we interacted more closely with them, they confided that many of them lived in single-roomed houses in the slum. To raise the Sh3,000 rent and get money to feed their children, they engaged in prostitution and collaborated with robbers,” says Daniel. “Others were victims of early pregnancy who were kicked out by their parents or guardians when they got pregnant.”

After the teenagers had received counselling from the couple and other advisers, there was a need to ensure they could sustain themselves without resorting to illegal means.

“Some were prepared to go back to school, while others opted to gain skills through which they could become self-reliant and support their babies,” adds Daniel.

Abandoning their bad habits meant the girls could no longer afford to pay rent, so they moved in with the Njoroges. Some of those who were living with guardians were kicked out because they no longer brought any money home.

Daniel and Dorcas took it all in their stride, and went from house to house in their neighbourhood, seeking mattresses, bedding and clothes for their guests. Another challenge cropped up when the girls joined school, and the couple had to hire nannies to look after the babies.

“We did not have school fees for the mothers, or money to hire staff, but we appealed to good Samaritans and got help,” says Dorcas.

So far, 42 teenage mothers have ‘graduated’ from Wings of Compassion Centre. Most of them are working in the neighbourhoods of Roysambu and Zimmerman as tailors and hairdressers. When they leave the centre, they are provided with tools such as sewing machines and salon equipment to start them off in their new lives. The Njoroges also conduct follow-up to ensure the girls are doing well.

Daniel and Dorcas may not enjoy the privacy they once did in their home, but they are happy to make the sacrifice to see young mothers and their children leading productive lives.