In this blog Rachel, the manager of the Kujali centre, explores the area around our compound – the Ngoingwa estate.
The Kujali centre is in the Ngoingwa estate, a residential area about 6km from Thika Town centre.
It is a secure, one acre site, with two buildings. The main building accomodates the Abandoned Baby Unit, Pregnant Teenagers and short-term children assigned to us by the local Childrens Office and Courts. The second building houses our adminstration and outreach teams, a library and a community room. The land for the centre was donated by a local women’s cooperative.
The Ngoingwa estate is mainly for middle-class workers, many of whom commute to Thika Town. Whilst many of the residents have cars, the area is also well served by Public Service Vehicles (PSVs), tuk-tuks and, for the brave, boda-bodas (motorcycle taxis). A trip to Thika takes about 15 minutes, subject to traffic!
When the Kujali centre was first built the area was under-developed, but a lot of building work has made the area a thriving centre with many houses and local shops, including a supermarket just outside the Kujali gates.
The land surrounding Kujali has gone up in value drastically, with a building spot costing over KES1m. That said, it is a very mixed area – with a small slum for underprivileged and vulnerable families and a dam only a few metres from the Centre..
Also close by are 3 churches, 2 schools, a police station, the supermarket and some small stalls where one can buy groceries and little food items instead of going to town.
Development of the area continues, with a public market being constructed which borders with Kujali, and more and more housing.
It is a fantastic area for the centre, accessible, lively but remaining a quiet and safe area, conducive to our work with babies.
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This Post Has One Comment
Very interesting. Gave a good sense of what it is like to be there.