The first Saturday of the year arrived without fireworks — just morning cold lifting, chai in plastic cups, and children tumbling in with new shoes and old sweaters. We played, argued over game rules, and sat in circles until laughter felt like its own kind of heat. Friendship here does not begin with speeches; it begins with shared time on a bench someone wiped clean.

Money is tight everywhere — prices at the market do not care about New Year wishes — yet donors still sent what they could. Some gave small amounts through M-PESA; others arrived with bread and greens. That consistency keeps the feeding programme from becoming a memory.

As numbers grow, we are experimenting with ways to engage adults too, but children remain at the centre of our worry. They are often unsupervised when parents hustle — easy to lose to idleness, to bad company, to a shortcut that looks sweet until it sours. Gathering them is our way of standing with mothers and teachers: extra eyes, extra care, one Saturday at a time.

If you began the year hoping to give more generously, start here — where a plate of food and a safe afternoon still change the shape of a week.