We are happy to see them happy...
The first month after schools closed had its own rhythm. By mid-morning, the lane outside our office — the room that doubles as kitchen for now — would fill with the sound of small feet and borrowed footballs.
The children had already learned the clock ETCO keeps. Lunch is not an abstract promise; it is a smell. Smoke, onions, a big sufuria working through githeri or whatever the day’s menu allows.
They play close on purpose — close enough to hear the lid lift, close enough to call a friend who is still two lanes away. “It’s almost ready,” someone shouts, and the group tightens like a knot.
A month in, school closure had stopped feeling like a holiday. Homework packets arrived late or not at all; parents left early for mjengo; younger siblings clung to older ones in queues. ETCO did not pretend to replace classrooms — we held a corner steady while adults hunted for rent.
Collince and the team learned names the way you learn market prices: repeat them until they stick. When the sufuria finally sings, bowls line up without being asked. That order is trust — fragile, daily, earned in tablespoons.
Weekend plates, growing numbers
The numbers keep growing, and that is both joy and pressure. More bowls mean more trust — and more shopping, more firewood, more hands washing dishes in cold water.
If you are looking for a way to help from outside Kibera, think in sacks and seasons: maize when prices spike, cooking oil when the tin runs dry, a standing order that survives a tough month. Weekend hunger does not wait for proposals to be signed.
We are grateful to donors who keep the weekends honest: children should not spend Saturday guessing whether food will come. If you have supported this kitchen, you have fed more than a meal — you have bought time for homework, for play, for a breath between worries.
Easter Feeding Program
Thanks to Tim Ruff and Stephanie, ETCO hosted a warm Easter Friday feeding program for children at our new office—bringing joy, a good meal, and community together in Kibera.
ETCO's Kibera Slums Tour
We thank Tim Ruff and Stephanie for joining ETCO’s Slum Tour in Kibera—walking with us, listening to residents, and experiencing the strength and reality of our community firsthand.
FLOOD SUPPORT APPEAL – KIBERA
Heavy rains brought flooding to Kibera’s riparian areas—destroying homes, claiming lives, and leaving families in urgent need. ETCO appeals to well-wishers for food, clothing, bedding, medical support, and other basics, while urging everyone to stay safe around fast water and contamination risks.