Manna Foods Feeding Initiative
Entry of the novel Corona virus in Kenya affected everyone. especially Kenyans living in informal settlements. Kenyans lost their livelihoods. They lost their means of getting food. Before Covid-19 families in these settlements struggled to get food, but at least got some, though not enough to be enough for members in the families. The pandemic led to a disappearance of the little that sustained them.
The government had to immediately implement measures that would curb the spread of corona virus. Lock-downs, curfews, limited number of passengers, closed churches, restaurants, bars to mention just a few. All the locked and restricted places were a source of livelihood to persons in these informal settlements.
Manna Foods saw the dire need of food among the people of Mathare North Sub-constituency. This constituency is made up of the most affected families in Nairobi. Families that were hit hard by the pandemic and had no place to get anything to eat. This includes places like Kiamaiko, Huruma, Madoya, Mabatini, Ngei 1 and 2, Jangwa, Metameta, Mathare area 4 and area 3.
Manna Foods is located along Ngei 2 Road, a central location that can easily be accessed by families from the above mentioned villages of Mathare North Sub-constituency. Manna is a small scale miller of all types of cereals for Ugali and Porridge flours. On usual days Manna sells flour to customers within and outside this sub-constituency.
Wednesdays are not like any other days. Wednesdays are donation Wednesdays, since February 2020. The Miller halts all sales activities. Manna has tirelessly done the exercise and benefited more than 945 families.
On normal days Manna has a budget of 30 families. However, we invite donors in order to feed more families. Since the inception of the program we have had several donors who have greatly helped with the program.
Manna donates a big cabbage, 3kgs of Ugali flour and cooking fat. The goodies take the families for a couple of days and come for the same the coming weeks. Some of these families have nothing to eat and solely depend on our Wednesday donations.
“Tulikuwa tunaenda kwa chief kuomba chakula, tumekaa siku tatu bila kula” (We used to go to the chief’s office to beg for food, we have been starving for last three days), an old seemly weak woman faintly explained to Edwin, one of our volunteers in the feeding project. Now the woman gets her package every Wednesday.
Manna Foods feeds these families out of compassion, not out of bounty and a commission from Jesus. Apart from the food, the Miller feeds the families with God’s word and sensitizes them about Corona Virus and the measures required to fight the spread of the virus.
We all pray for a re-opening so that all families may be able to get back on their feet and without much struggle get food and other necessities.
