How it all started!

I was browsing one of my craft magazines one day and came across an article, which was about making dresses from pillowcases for an american charity for them to send out to different countries.  I thought that this was a fantastic idea and why couldn't we do this for a charity that we already supported.  A group of 12 people, that included my husband and daughter had already organised a trip out to Nakuru, Kenya to support the work being carried out at the Walk Centre. So, I organised Dresses Workshops 10 months prior to them going out so that they could take the dresses with them.  I was then worried about the boys being left out, so I found the idea of making shorts out of mens t-shirts.

 

For the trip, we achieved a fantastic 264 dresses and 150 pairs of shorts.  This was an overwelming amount and I never imagained that we would achieve anything like this!  THANK YOU to so many people who were involved with making the dresses and shorts, donating materials and keeping us fed and watered throughout the Dresses Workshops.

 

The dresses and shorts were recieved with excitement and grace by the children.  They were very touched to receive them.  The group did find out however, that the children were very cold at night so we thought the knitted hats will be a huge benefit for them.

 

We are continuing with this project and this July, I am very fortunate in being able to go out there with my family.  Again we will be taking dresses and shorts with us.  We will also be taking hats and knickers/pants this time too.

 

Who we do it for?

The Walk Centre is a UK Registered Charity set up to support the work of The Walk Children's Church in Nakuru, Kenya.
 
Nakuru is situated in the Rift Valley and is the fourth largest town in Kenya providing a home to approximately 300,000 people.  Rate of poverty are high and many of these people reside in slums, barely able to earn enough money to feed their families and pay for their childrens' education. 
 
The residents of the Hilton Slum, located on the edge of Nakuru's local rubbish dump, are no exception.  The community experiences poor health, poverty and high levels of unemployment, with few means of support available to them.
 
It was this need that was identified by a local couple Alex and Patrica Maina.  Both were teachers by trade, in April 2005 they established The Walk Children's Church to help provide the children and adults with the skills and support to create a sustainable future for themselves.
 
The Walk Centre currenlty supports over 350 children and their families by providing grants to fund:
  • education and schooling for children aged 5-12 years, with continued support to enable them to attend government schooling to the age of 18.
  • A feeding programme providing regular meals to the children attending school, six days a week.
  • Adult classes to ensure adults in the local community have the skills they need to gain employment.
  • Wider community support projects such as help with building repairs to local homes, medical assistance, spiritual support and an over-16s football team for local boys.
 

If you would like to donate to The Walk Centre, then click on the link below

www.justgiving.co.uk/thewalkcentre