New App Saving Kibera Residents From Hunger

Mama Mboga in Kibera settlement wearing a face mask to protect against covid-19 virus.
Mama Mboga in Kibera settlement wearing a face mask given by Avido on 18 March 2020.
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As the saying goes necessity is the mother of invention, and a young Kibera resident has found a solution to help his neighbours avoid going to bed hungry.

By developing an app that enables anonymous persons to adopt a family of six for a week at a cost of Ksh 1500, Moses Omondi a youth leader at Kibera has helped many families who are now thankful for his innovation.

Moses Omondi the founder of the initiative says that he came up with the idea last month after seeing different families suffer days of no food and being chased out their houses for not being able to pay rent.

Youth queue outside County Hall, Nairobi with their certificates.
Youth queue outside in Nairobi with their certificates, hoping to get jobs.
Daily Nation

''Around here families are suffering and I took it upon myself to find a solution to the problems facing my neighbours. Together with a friend of mine, we developed an app that would connect poor families to a person who could support them anonymously,''

''Some of the sites where men of these families used to work have been closed down, thus getting basic necessities is a big task for them right now. We should not let our neighbours suffer yet we have the ability to assist each other.''  

Annette Okumu a cake vendor whose business took a hit since the first case of Covid-19 was announced in Kenya is a beneficiary of the initiative, which helped her to connect with a sponsor.

''After going for two days without food, I decided to contact Moses who advised me to wait for some time as he tried to connect me with someone who could help my situation, 

''Later on, he called me to come for a food voucher and informed me that the person who sponsored our meal was called Job. I thank Job a lot because for almost two days we had gone without food.

Adopt a family has already linked 20 families to adopters who not only provide food and money but also psychological support to the families especially now that the country is suffering from effects of Covid-19.

''So far we have managed to link 20 families who are receiving support from different donors, the amounts that the donors give are between KSh1500-2500,'' says Moses the founder of Adopt-a-Family.

Job Bitange a Kibera resident says that the loss of jobs has affected most families. He adopted Annette and her family for a week providing financial assistance to the family and advising them on life matters.

Bitange says that ''Adopt family links you up with a family and you become one of them, the only difference is that you do not get to meet the families but you get to communicate over the phone.''

Families from informal sectors have suffered the most since the declaration of the curfew by the president as most operate their businesses at night due to high traffic.

A roadside food vendor stand.
A roadside food vendor stand.
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