Eunice Menja is a young lady who has gone beyond her reach to set up a children's home.
She is a mother of two girls and lives in the United States of America. She runs the Upendo Children's Home located in Murang’a County.
Menja notes that her childhood experience played a huge role in making her see the needs of others as important and urgent.
The home currently hosts 45 children and the management is expecting to welcome a nine-year-old boy who is being processed for rescue.
"We never say no to kids who are suffering because that is always the last hope for them. It is either that or they end up in the streets sniffing glue. We have 15 kids who are in high school and the rest are in primary school. It is a huge undertaking, but God always provides," said Menja.
The youngest kid at the home is four years old, with the oldest being 19.
Menja faults the government over its failure to offer such homes the support they require, arguing that is one of the major challenges her establishment faces.
"We have an unsupportive government in Kenya. They treat us like we are at fault. I get very emotional when I talk about this because I have rescued children in America. Those who rescue American children are treated with dignity. The American government supports poor and needy children. Our Kenyan government is different. They call you when they don’t know where to take a child who is at risk of death. Once you rescue that child, the next time you see the government is when they are fiercely knocking on your doors to look for fault," said Menja.
"We feed the kids, we educate them, we shelter them, we take care of their medical bills without the government's help. If you need a bursary, you beg like anyone else. That is the biggest challenge," she added.
The mother of two notes that determining the neediest child is another challenge she faces considering the cases are all unique, with some even being life-threatening.
Sho notes that the limited resources, high food prices as well as high utility bills make it difficult to take in a large number of children.
She, however, notes that she sometimes receives support from community members who visit the home.
"The community has been very supportive. When we operated from Juja, the JKUAT community and other people came to visit us a lot. They worked to help us serve the children. We have, however, moved to a remote community in Murang’a and our neighbouring community has plenty of their own issues including alcoholism. A few have embraced our presence in their community and have brought whatever little help they can. However, we can never rely on the community 100 per cent," she said.
To instil discipline in the kids, Menja reveals that they don't use physical punishment but have instead embraced other alternatives that have proven to work.
"We do a lot of mentorship for our kids, they are taken to church and raised in a Godly manner. I am thankful for the faith community that has been involved with Upendo. Mrs Mahui from Juja PCEA, and others, have been a big part of mentoring our kids, They are nor perfect kids, but they are well behaved," said Menja.
Menja notes that God, her family and sponsors are what motivate her to do what she does each day.
"God is my main motivation. If I relied on man to motivate me, I would have surrendered 10 years ago. I look at Christ and I get comforted. He gave up too much for me. God has motivated me by providing the resources I have for the kids," said Menja.
"My family in the USA and all those who sponsor my ministry have also given me a lot of courage to step outside the box and explore more opportunities for the kids. Buying a five-acre piece of land and trusting God for provision to be able to build and move in was also dependent on those well-wishers," she adds.
To donate to Upendo Children’s Home or volunteer, you can reach Menja on eunicem@upendokids.org or Eunice Menja on Facebook.