It always gives me much joy to write to you and to share the goodness of the lord in our lives and especially over the last half of this year! With each new day, I look to the mountains and ask, from where will my help come? My help will come from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let you fall; your protector is always awake! Each one of you has remained close in my heart and prayers.
Thank you for your continued love and friendship of which we cannot take for granted. You have walked with us in realizing the dreams of thousands of children and enabled us to give hope where none existed.
The year begun with much hope and anticipation as for the first time in over a year, we witnessed rainfall in the country. The rains brought back life and healing to our land and its people following a year of political violence and another of severe drought which almost brought our country to its knees. My ministry remained focused on providing the most crucial care to the orphans, neglected and abused children, the widows and those around our communities in their most desperate of times.
It was with much joy that we witnessed the wedding of Fredrick Gwayumba and Esther Nzeko on 5th June of this year. I rescued Fredrick and Esther in 1993 and 2004 respectively, from very difficult circumstances. The two young people graduated successfully from MCF at different times. Fredrick has been working at the education and home departments of MCF for over 5years now. The couple had a splendid wedding which was witnessed by scores of friends and relatives at the MCF Ndalani Chapel. On the same day, MCF joined the world in celebrating the world environmental day through celebrating its ongoing efforts in tree planting and environmental conservation.
The first half of the year saw MCF open its doors to numerous numbers of guests at our various project sites in the country. Local and International guests, as well as government dignitaries were among those we hosted. It was with great joy and honor that we hosted Mrs. Pauline Kalonzo, the wife of the Vice President of the Republic of Kenya, who spent a full day visiting with us. She joined the MCF fraternity for a worship service at our Ndalani chapel. Some of the highlights of her visit included a presentation by the MCF Mission choir in dance, karate, acrobats and song. Mrs. Kalonzo also spent the day interacting with the children, some of whom shared their life testimonies with her. She visited various projects on site in the guidance of my wife Esther, and planted trees as part of our environmental conservation efforts, an experience that she quoted as being humbling to her.
Education
I am pleased to inform you that one of the MCF beneficiaries by the name David Mwee, has been admitted at Hope College University. Mully Children’s Family received scholarships for four students in Grand Valley University (2 girls) Calvin University (1 boy) in addition to that of David. Unfortunately, the three were not granted visas by the US embassy in Nairobi. David will report to his college on 22nd August and I will accompany him to see his smooth enrolment and settlement in the US. Please pray for us as we travel.
On 11th June 2010, MCF was awarded several certificates and trophies by the Ministry of Education for taking second position in Yatta District in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education. The MCF secondary school was awarded with certificates of merit for best performance in Mathematics, English, Kiswahili, Physics and Christian Religious Education (CRE). The school led in English, Physics and CRE and obtained position two in Kiswahili and 3rd position in Mathematics in the district.
After a busy term, MCF schools took a one week break in the month of July. The weather continued to be conducive and no major ailments or interruptions were witnessed. During their holiday, the children were involved in co-curricular activities like karate and football, as well as activities of various clubs organized within the homes.
Mully Children’s Family continues to excel in co-curricular activities as the karate team scooped all the trophies in a recent tournament held in June this year in Nairobi. The tournament involved a number of major teams from different parts of the country. Our team consists of young talented boys and girls who have represented the home and their country in various tournaments.
The tournament had various age categories ranging from six to seventeen years, with MCF scooping a total of twenty three medals as well as another medal presented to Paul Kimani, the trainer of the club, for emerging as the best coach. He is a former destitute child and an MCF beneficiary who holds Black Belt accreditation received through training in South Africa facilitated by the MCF. Currently, the team holds the coveted East and Central Africa Championship Trophy for cadets. They have visited and performed in other countries including the USA and Canada.
HEALTH
As part of our efforts to offer quality health care to our beneficiaries and the surrounding communities, Mully Children’s Family hosted four medical camps early this year in collaboration with medical doctors from Kenya and overseas. These volunteer doctors who included general practitioners and dentists were offering free medical services to the children and the community at a time when there was a shortage of medical supplies in the government hospitals in our country. Thousands of people from the community flocked the MCF clinic seeking for free medical assistance with over 5000 people being attended to. They received free consultation and free medication for their ailments with serious cases referred to Nairobi under our sponsorship.
AGRICULTURE
With the rains witnessed in the first three months of the year, we were able to collect adequate water in the dams which had remained dry throughout last year. This resulted in good yield from our open fields as well as the green houses in Ndalani and Yatta. Our first crop in the green houses was planted in April this year and the yield has been good over the last three months. Additionally other produce such as tomatoes, onions, spinach and egg plants have enabled us to substitute the diet of the children. Fish, eggs and chicken provided a nutritious diet for the children with the surplus being sold locally in Nairobi. The beans continue to be exported to Netherlands as a means of earning an income. In spite of the good progress made in the agriculture department, we have had a challenge where the prices for the products locally as well as internationally have been low.
The first half of the year was not without calamity as one of our vehicles was involved in an accident at night while ferrying French beans from MCF Yatta to Nairobi. No one was seriously injured, as both the driver and assistant received medical care for minor injuries and were discharged. We thank God that there were no major casualties.
TRAINING AND CAPACITY ENHANCEMENT
In the month of July, MCF held a staff conference and training workshop drawing staff from all its branches in the country. The conference aimed at equipping the staff with requisite knowledge necessary in serving the children and giving them the best to help them realize their full potential.
Several speakers shared on different topics with my key note address being a word of encouragement to the participants to practice Dedication, Commitment and Focus, as the key pillars which help us to achieve our objectives in serving the children and communities around us. This came along other staff trainings and capacity enhancement sessions carried out this year. Additionally, the children participated in various workshops focusing on life skills and HIV/Aids which were carried out in partnership with qualified medical practitioners.
My wife and I are delighted to share our joy with you on the successful wedding of our youngest daughter Mueni which took place on 7th August in Rieden, Germany. Mueni has been serving in MCF for over 7 years since her graduation from University. She is the MCF Director of International Communications and my Personal Assistant.
Mueni and Christoph’s wedding was conducted in the beautiful church of Seeg with the service led both by a German priest and Bishop Mulandi from Kenya. The MCF Mission choir’s voices brought life to the church. The reception at the Fussen festival hall was multi-cultural bringing together unique German traditional performances while the MCF mission choir entertained the audience with song, dance, and acrobats among others. Friends and relatives from different countries and denominations alike shared various discussions in joy at the reception which was held below the beautiful Alps Mountains and in front of a lake. We wish to thank all of you who sent congratulatory messages either written or via phone and to those who gave towards the wedding which was a great success.
After the wedding, we started the MCF Mission choir tour across Germany where we have been creating awareness and preaching the gospel through acrobats, sharing testimonies, dancing among others. Esther and Dickson are there leading the team and they have five more weeks to go. Please thank the lord so much for wonderful things that he continues to do at MCF. We invite you to get in touch with us and view more stories on what has been happening in MCF at www.mullychildrensfamily.org or email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Once more, please accept my sincere thanks for your continued support and friendship over the years. The work has not been easy as we continue to face many challenges. However, by walking with us in this journey of rescue and rehabilitation, hope and transformation of lives has been made possible!
Wishing you and your family a very blessed remainder of the year!
Yours Sincerely,
DR. EV. CHARLES M. MULLI (PhD, HSC)
FOUNDER & CEO
MULLY CHILDREN’S FAMILY