“I was lost but now I am found…” These were the words of Josephine Kale soon after her release from the children’s prison back to the custody of MCF.
Born in 1993, Josephine’s life is characterized by lack and suffering. The sorry state she found herself in began at her birth and worsened as the days passed by. The whole family survived through begging. The mother became a beggar after the disappearance and later death of her husband, Josephine’s father. The family then began living on throwaway food from the dust bins and begging on the streets. The mother had no permanent shelter and she resided in the slums of Kipsongo where Josephine and her other siblings lived in pathetic and unhygienic conditions. The mother was a beggar and the children were introduced to street life feeding on leftovers most of the days. The lifestyle was risky, hard and unbearable as the children fell sick from time to time with no hope of proper medical care. The only time they remember having been attended to by qualified health personnel is when volunteer doctors held free clinics in the slums.
Josephine was involved in sniffing glue, had poor health and was infested by jiggers on her feet due to poor living conditions on the streets. She lacked basic needs like food, clothing, shelter, family love, spiritual nurture and security.
She was rescued from the streets of Kitale on 28th of October, 2001 by the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mully Children’s Family Dr, Ev. Charles Mulli during his routine street rescue missions. Josephine was admitted at MCF Homes where she started accessing all basic needs. She was given special medical referral and attention which enabled her to adjust and improve in health.
She had never gone to school before her rescue. She was enrolled at MCF Ndalani primary school in standard one where she began picking up and adjusting to school life accordingly. She continued with education until last year when she sat for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education. She then joined MCF Yatta in grade nine.
She was a disciplined girl. However, the influence by one of her friends, Vivian Lumzee Agolong, made her behavior change gradually. She complained that the subjects were hard and she could not continue with education. A close friend of hers, advised her not to quit education. Her state of affairs took a different turn when she ran from MCF Yatta Home on Monday, 19th of April, 2010 together with Vivian Lumzee. Little did she know that soon after arriving in Nairobi on the same day she would be arrested by the police for loitering in the streets and committed to The Nairobi Children’s Remand Home through a Nairobi court for temporary care. Josephine had told the officer that she was enroute to her home town, Kitale, to look for one of her siblings who was suffering and needed help.
Back at MCF, frantic efforts were being made in search for her. The Home administration together with security personnel had searched in every nook and cranny to trace her. Reports had been made to the necessary authorities including the police and the area administrative authorities.
Mully Children’s Family received a call from the officer in charge of Josephine’s case at the remand home at the end of April after Josephine reported that she had been in the care of MCF. MCF confirmed that Josephine had been rescued, admitted and had been in the custody of the home and had escaped after the influence of one of her peers whom they had been rescued together from the streets of Kitale some years back.
She was released on 5th of May, 2010 through a court order and committed back to MCF.
Josephine has a lot of potential to excel in life. However, she needs a lot of care, support, guidance and counseling and prayers so as not to lose her course in life.
Please join us in prayer for Lumzee Agolong as her whereabouts are still unknown to date…..