Charity signs face-lift pact for Kirinyaga Home for the Elderly, donates clothes ahead of El Nino rains

The management of the St. Mary’s Village for the Aged Women in Kirinyaga County said the launch of a renovation programme of the buildings at the home by the charity organisation, Suqoon, will provide the elderly women with conducive facilities for sleeping, showering and resting.

The government has forecast that El Nino rains will start next month and could negatively affect the more than three million elderly people in Kenya, according to the Kenya Housing and Population Census 2019.

But for the 39 elderly women living in St. Mary’s Village for the Aged Women Kirinyaga County’s Home for the Elderly, their preparedness to face the onset of the El Nino rains has been boosted after Suqoon volunteered to donate blankets, sweaters and socks to weather the anticipated cold weather.

More good news is that Suqoon will now refurbish the home to make it more habitable in the face of the expected heavy rains in a two-year memorandum of understanding with the home.

“Older persons need peace, they need love, food, health, shelter, safety, kindness, patience, laughter, company, and care among other things,” said Suqoon Founder and Philanthropist Ms Shakira Khawaja.

She added: “By fostering a culture of respect and care for the older persons now, we lay the groundwork for a compassionate society that will be there for us when we, too, become seniors.”

Suqoon, Ms Khawaja said, decided to partner with the home to help it improve its facilities to better manage the needs of the older persons here.

The two-year agreement is aimed at marshalling adequate resources to support the provision of better care and services for the 39 elderly women hosted at the nursing home.

Speaking during the signing ceremony at the Kirinyaga-based facility on September 26, 2023, Ms Khawaja emphasized the importance of improving the quality of life of elderly people.

She said the elderly persons have often been neglected despite them forming an important part of the family ecosystem.

Kenya has 2.7 million elderly people, according to the 2019 Population and Housing Census.

During the signing of the agreement, Suqoon also donated food items, besides clothes and blankets, to the elderly to cushion them ahead of the cold weather expected to come from the forecast El Nino rains.

“We are here to applaud the fantastic work St. Mary’s is doing. Honouring older persons is preserving our history,” she added.

The facility, which was established in 1974, and managed by Consolata Missionaries, provides refuge to elderly women, many of whom have been abandoned by their families.

More than 500 women have passed through the facility since its establishment, with many cases being of women suffering from physical, mental and psychological challenges.

St. Mary’s Village Board Chairman Joseph Muhoro commended Suqoon for stepping in to offer assistance, calling for the need to care for the elderly.

Mr Muhoro said the issue of inadequate resources has impeded them from enrolling more women, revealing that they have yet to approve applications from 25 elderly women for two years now.

“Many times people neglect the aged. We should have the pride and strength to support mothers. We have been able to sustain the home for over 39 years, but the challenges are big,” he said.

St. Mary’s Village Director Michael Mutinda said the partnership will help them renovate and build more living quarters to accommodate more needy women.