News from Mill Hill, Kitale (2)

More about the work done by Jacinta van Luijk ... and the Mill Hill team in Kitale

Sharon is a member of the new KAP-Steps-Group, which started in September 2023 in the Matisi slum. In the beginning, it took a lot of effort for the recovery coaches in her neighborhood to convince her to join. But once there the topics touched her and the meals – however simple – did the rest. She was malnourished, hungry and very sick. Moreover, she had stopped taking her anti-AIDS drugs. Both her hands were completely covered with a painful infection caused by her​ work in the drinking dens. Her job there was to wash and rinse 24/7 very dirty plastic containers, dug up from the city ‘s rubbish heaps, to be used as ‘ glasses ‘ at the bar. She lived in these drinking dens and whatever little money she earned was spent on alcohol .

She is now 44 years old and is the firstborn in her family. For unknown reasons, her mother rejected her as a child and she came to live with her grandma. She loved her, but unfortunately her grandmother died when she was only a teenager. Her uncles refused to take her in, and Sharon ended up living on the streets. There she soon ‘married’ a man who was addicted to alcohol and drugs. They had constant violent fights, and Sharon joined in. When she discovered she could not have children, her addiction took a turn for the worse. Her subsequent relationships also failed. Eventually, the local bars became her home. She contracted HIV and people avoided her. Because she could not cook with her painful hands, KAP arranged for her to eat at a local restaurant in the slum. A helpful doctor provided treatment and cured her hands. She is now taking her HIV medication properly again.

Sharon was deeply touched by the care, teachings and food she received, she became a loyal participant and vowed to quit her addiction, becoming the first in her group to actually do so !

Gradually she accepts her situation and shows remarkable strength and courage. She says: “KAP is now my family”, and has asked for help in rebuilding her life. She recently took the initiative to meet her mother, because she wants to understand why she hates her so much. We accompany her in this painful emotional process.

To enable Sharon to climb out of her extreme poverty, KAP is temporarily paying the modest rent for her small room and we have purchased a jiko (portable stove) for her to cook for herself .