Beyond the Walls of Faith

Behind the newly constructed house lies one of Caritas Nairobi's most enduring community development models, the Socio-Economic Empowerment Programme, implemented through parish-based self-help groups spread across more than 120 parishes in the Archdiocese of Nairobi.

Rather than limiting charity to occasional donations, the programme organises Christians into structured self-help groups where members save together, support one another during times of crisis, identify vulnerable households within their localities, and undertake Community Social Investment (CSI) projects that respond to the most urgent needs in society.

For Thika Zone Chairperson Dr. Michael Kimani, the project exemplifies exactly what the self-help movement was created to achieve. “Within Thika Zone, we have eleven active self-help groups stretching from St. Francis Ruiru to St. Luke's Magogoni,” he explained, adding that besides supporting their members, the groups implement Community Social Investment programmes that directly respond to the needs of vulnerable people within their communities.

He noted that although the construction of Mama Ruth's house is substantially complete, the commitment has not ended. The group still intends to finish the electrical wiring, purchase a water tank and establish a poultry project with layer chickens so that Mama Ruth can have a sustainable source of income while continuing to care for her grandchildren.

The story of Mama Ruth began with James Mushoku Jungei, a retired teacher and former chairman of the St. Luke's Magogoni Self-Help Group, who had once taught some of the children in the family. Long after they had left his classroom, he continued visiting them, bringing food, helping with educational support and quietly standing with the family during difficult moments.

Eventually, he shared the family's situation with the then Chairperson of the St. Luke's Magogoni Self-Help Group, Peter Kamau, who decided he had to witness the situation for himself before involving the group. What he found shocked him: a collapsing shelter built from poorly moulded mud bricks, its walls leaning dangerously inward after continuous rains. The family's hardship had worsened further after a neighbouring land dispute resulted in part of the already fragile structure being demolished.

Then came the night that changed everything. Heavy rains pounded Mukunike Village and Kamau's phone rang. Mama Ruth was crying. Her house had collapsed, and she could not tell whether the children trapped inside were alive. Kamau and Jungei rushed to the scene and removed the fallen bricks by hand. By what both men describe as God's grace, all ten of the grandchildren living with her survived, some having escaped into the rain, others pulled from beneath the fallen walls unhurt.

That night convinced the self-help group that temporary assistance would never be enough. A permanent solution was needed.

When Thika Zone invited all self-help groups to submit proposals for Community Social Investment projects, Kamau immediately thought of Mama Ruth. Using photographs the team had already taken during earlier visits, they prepared a comprehensive presentation for the zonal committee. Their proposal was approved and forwarded to Caritas Nairobi, and Mama Ruth's house became Thika Zone's Community Social Investment project.

Former Thika Zone Chairperson Patrick Chege, who initiated the project together with the zonal leadership, says the decision reflected the very heart of Caritas' mission. “When we first visited the family in 2024, we found them living in extremely poor conditions,” he recalled. “The house was in a very bad state. Some of the children were living with disabilities, others were struggling to attend school, and at times the family even went without food.”

“Caritas Nairobi does not discriminate. It does not matter where someone comes from or what their faith is. We are called to touch lives wherever there is need.”

— Patrick Chege, Former Chairperson, Thika Zone

For James Mushoku Jungei, who first identified the family's need, the project represents a new chapter in how Community Social Investment is carried out. Where many CSI projects have historically focused on schools and children's homes, this was the first of its kind to directly support a vulnerable household within the community.

Neither Mama Ruth nor her family belonged to the Catholic Church, and neither were they members of the self-help movement, yet none of those distinctions mattered when the Church encountered genuine human suffering. As Dr. Michael Kimani observed, “Ruth is not a Catholic and she is not a member of any self-help group. Nevertheless, we made the decision to support her fully because her need was genuine.” That conviction transformed what could have remained a local charitable gesture into a profound expression of Catholic Social Teaching, one that places the dignity of every human person at the centre of development.

Standing outside her new home, Mama Ruth now has something she lacked for years: security. Her grandchildren have a roof that will not collapse during the rains, and will soon have electricity, clean water storage and a small poultry enterprise capable of generating income.