Joy as family displaced by floods gets new home

Rosa Mukwandiga,50, standing outside her new house in Isiolo county. [Bruno Mutunga, Standard]

The family of Rosa Mukwandiga, 50, has a reason to celebrate after the Methodist Church of Kenya and Compassion International built her a four-roomed house.

Mukwangida, her nine children and two grandchildren were rendered homeless after fire razed their house in Bulapesa, Isiolo County, and she was offered shelter by a neighbour. Tragedy struck again last year and her house was swept away by floods.

"In November last year, the house was marooned by floods which swept away my few household items, leaving me in dire need of further assistance," she said.

She was one of the six most vulnerable families that would benefit from a housing project by Compassion International through the Methodist Church of Kenya (MCK).

Fred Maingi, an officer working with the Methodist Church of Kenya Isiolo Child Development Center, said that one of Mukwangida’s children is placed under the Child Sponsorship programme.

"While conducting home visits to ascertain the authenticity of the vulnerability for sponsorship, they identified the family as one that needed help in terms of housing, and therefore enrolled her for the project," he said.

Maingi said that the house was constructed in Ngaintethia village along the border of Isiolo and Meru counties.

"One room has been set for the older girls to accord them their privacy as well, while the other two rooms are to be occupied by the younger children," he said.

Five other vulnerable households also benefited from a similar intervention.