New Life Home UK Trustee Bev and Administrator husband Charlie Stockley made an emotional journey back to Kenya to visit NLHT. What they found was both heartwarming and transformative: babies they once cradled are now thriving teenagers, new partnerships have strengthened their care, and the dedication of the teams continued to provide hope for Kenya’s most vulnerable children.
Join us as Bev and Charlie share their experiences visiting our three homes in Nairobi, Nakuru, and Kisumu, offering a unique perspective on how far we’ve come and providing a flavour of the incredible work happening every day across Kenya.
It was a privilege to be able to visit New Life Home Trust, after being part of the team in Kenya over 10 years ago! We received warm Kenyan hospitality in Nairobi, Nakuru and Kisumu. We were well fed and given comfortable places to stay. Our drivers transferred us safely between homes in a new baby rescue car that was being delivered to Kisumu. Helpfully where we were going!
Our visit began in Nairobi where we had helpful discussions with Janet Mutinda, CEO, and Charles Misiani, Chair of the Board of Trustees, along with various leaders of the team at head office. This provided us with an overview of the different aspects involved in the ongoing care of the children.
Nakuru
We travelled on to spend a few days in Nakuru, catching up with the team there. Sadly, we arrived on the day that baby Philip passed away which was understandably a very sad time for those who cared for him so well in those precious few months of his life on earth. It was a privilege to sit with the staff and to hear Janet Mutinda sensitivity encourage and bring words of comfort to them just a few days later.
Meanwhile Charlie and I had a precious weekend catching up with the teenage girls (now between the ages of 14- 20 yrs) who we first met in Kisumu when they were babies. They are now cared for by two Aunties, who provide them with a homely environment alongside teaching them life skills. The girls wash up, help with cooking and do all their own washing by hand!
Two of the younger girls are happily settled in CITAM School Nakuru, where they follow the mainstream Kenyan curriculum. They proudly showed us around their school after the Sunday morning church service which meets on the same campus. Although the school building is not currently well adapted to people with disabilities, the girls show determination in navigating their way around. We met up with two of the older young ladies (17 and 20yrs) who had just started a new special school in Nakuru. There is few specialist provision for adults in Kenya, hence we have found those with disabilities sometimes still attending special schools.
Kisumu
We were excited to be travelling from Nakuru to Kisumu with Janet in the new rescue vehicle which is ideally suited for the roads in Kenya. It was so special to reconnect with our New Life family in Kisumu, and with the staff, many of whom had been working there when we left in 2015.
The Amani team continue to follow many of the activities that we did together over 10 years ago. These are greatly enhanced and embedded in the daily routines by the expertise of having a Physiotherapist and an Occupational Therapist on a full-time basis. Therefore, clearly benefiting the care and training of the children and young people. Two of the young men now aged 18 and nearly 22, need much more assistance as they require support for all their care needs. These therapists clearly have a heart for the children and young adults and demonstrate their understanding in the way that they work with them alongside the caregivers. This gives a more holistic approach to their care throughout the day.
The children who are ambulant go out to schools. One boy attends boarding school, so we only met him briefly when he returned for the half term break. Another attends a mainstream school where he is doing well. The rest go to a local special school.
Several of the young people enjoy swimming at the local pool and love the freedom that swimming brings to their otherwise restrictive bodies.
The children follow the routines of the home and those who are able copy staff in trying to assist in basic tasks around the home, such as cleaning wheelchairs, helping at meals, carrying washing or helping the groundsman. They were particularly helpful when we had a delivery of supplies of disposable nappies, assisting us in carrying them up to the store.
It’s encouraging to see that Amani has a wide range of specialist equipment provided by Physionet, a UK based charity, which liaises with the Amani therapists so that the correct equipment is sent over for the individual needs of each child.
It was a joy to join in with the celebrations when a new baby arrived in Pendo. Welcoming these precious little ones with worship and prayer and speaking words of life over them is so in the heart of God. The dedication of the staff towards the well-being of these little ones is inspiring to see.
We were asked to undertake some staff training on working with children with disabilities. The staff seemed to appreciate our hands on training approach, and we found some amazing actors as we encouraged them to think what it must be like to have various disabilities.
Thank you to all of you who support the work of New Life in the UK. Let us continue to hold them all in our prayers and donate what we are able. Those who work for the charity really do provide new life to all babies who enter and will support them for as long as it takes. We noticed that Kenya is experiencing high price rises and taxation on basic foods, more so than in the UK and so support is more important than ever. We were so touched by the way in which the older Amani teens with complex disabilities spontaneously welcomed us back and prayed for us. They will forever be our Kenyan children!