January always pretends to be slow, then suddenly it is not. A few days into 2023 and we are already counting down to the school bell — uniforms pressed, fees argued over at kitchen tables, children pretending they finished holiday homework. At ETCO we are doing what we love: feeding, listening, teasing, praying quietly while the pots boil.
Our “normal” Saturday has hovered around three hundred and fifty children at minimum. This stretch blew past that. We stopped for a head count when the courtyard felt fuller than usual — more than five hundred people, children and adults together, sharing shade and patience.
When the crowd grows, so does the shopping list
That jump is not a brag; it is a budget line. More mouths mean more maize meal, more vegetables, more fuel, more hands washing dishes. We are grateful to every giver whose M-PESA ping or cash bundle makes those extra plates possible — including neighbours who carried sacks when shops felt too far.
When schools reopen, we hope children carry more than full stomachs from our Saturdays — a little courage, a remembered song, a word of encouragement they can hold when the classroom feels too loud. If you gave this month, you were part of that overflow.
