Women housing initiative shelters the needy

Njeru Kamuru (left) whose family benefited from a three roomed brick house constructed by a group of women in Runyenjes constituency. On the background is the dilapidated one room shanty he previously lived in with his wife and three children (Joseph Muchiri, Standard)

A group of women in Runyenjes constituency has started an initiative to build brick-houses houses to shelter the needy and the vulnerable community members. Through their group, Touching Heavens, they have built about 20 brick-walled and iron-roofed houses in Runyenjees with plans to expand to other constituencies.

The women, most of them teachers, embarked on the charitable cause after observing constant absenteeism among pupils from poor families during rainy days. On investigating, they discovered the children, and their clothes, had been rained on as the roofs of their houses leaked.