Old To New

The walkers build their appetites for the soup and sweet lunch.

This year's route

"And it's from the old I travel to the new; keep me travelling along with you." These words from a popular Sydney Carter hymn seem appropriate as we leave the old year and start the new. So A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL and there is a connecting thread with the Karibuni Children charity we support.

On December 27th, a group of hardy walkers braved the damp conditions and sometimes challenging terrain round the Little Kimble, Ellesborough, and the Chequers estate area. It was followed by a soup and sweet lunch at the home of Elaine and Kevin Hardern where donations for Karibuni raised £175.

Kaaribuni was then the focus of our circuit's prayers on New Year's Eve. John Cotton contrasted the difference between our own experience of seeing people 'stocking up for Christmas', and the typical hand-to-mouth existence of those living in Kenya's slums. John writes, "From such challenging circumstances come the children and young people whose education Karibuni supports and whose lives we seek to transform. Take Ronnie, who comes from one of Nairobi's slums. Here, in his words, is evidence of amazing transformation in practice."

"My name is Ronnie, currently a first-year student at the Railways Training Institute. I am doing a course in Diploma in Civil Engineering. The course duration is three years.

I have been a total orphan from a tender age; I never got to know my biological parents. I have a relative of mine who agreed to be my guardian after the burial of my parents; however, she cannot fully take care of me due to the financial pressure from her own kids but I am lucky enough to have always had a shelter, food and clothing. She doesn't have a stable job. She does laundry for people; the laundry job isn't guaranteed because at times she may fail to find the opportunities.

I have been a beneficiary of one of the projects of Karibuni Children. This project has been there for me as my second guardian. I have received clothes, food, education and moral support from the project. I never missed the daily meals provided in the project because it is what we at times solely depended on, due to this we rarely slept hungry.

I am looking forward to finishing my course in few years to come. The skills acquired will help me to become a better person in the society and to help people in need by giving back to the community. Without the Karibuni support I wouldn't have reached this far. I am thankful for the support, hopefully believe and pray that the organisation never lacks finances to continue supporting children to achieve."

As we look forward to a New Year, let us pray for Ronnie and all other such children supported by Karibuni Children. For their website, click here.