About Wanjiku Wanjiku Kironyo
Wanjiku Kironyo (2)
Wanjiku Kironyo is the unflinching founder of Maji Mazuri Center. Maji Mazuri, which means 'good water' in Swahili, has been working for over 25 years transforming the lives of hundreds in the Mathare Valley slum and beyond. Under her courageous leadership and against all odds, the center has morphed into the epiphany of hope in a desolate place, establishing a micro business loan program, head start school, youth project, two academic institutions, an organic farm and more.
Wanjiku's dream has always been to make a genuine difference in her homeland but it was the sight of an old woman hanging onto the feeble rafters of her crumbling shack to escape the forceful flood of an unexpected downpour that sparked her into immediate and irreversible action. With only passion for a plan she left her prestigious position as a professor at the university and set off to found Maji Mazuri, a grassroots program which means good water. 25 years later this transformative center impacts over 400 people daily and boasts numerous successful program participants. With dedicated volunteers from around the world and a focus on empowerment, the center is now poised to build a 30,000 square foot community center on 5 floors to bring together all these programs, and more, under one, safe and secure roof.
During one of my first few visits to Mathare Valley, it started pouring heavily.
We were sitting in a woman's living room, which was 4 by 3 foot wide. Above the room was an old sagging polythene paper which served as the roof. The paper was able to keep the house warm but didn’t realize it had another purpose.
As the rain continued pouring the paper sagged and started dripping water at one corner. The woman put a pot there to harvest the rain water. Soon the same thing happened to another corner and she put a pot there too. The water from the polythene started dripping on the table and splashed onto our faces.
It continued raining and I asked her if I could leave while it was still raining. She told me that the water was coming downhill at such a high speed it would wash me away.
The floodwater gathered and started gushing into the house through a hole on the floor. It was dirty water carrying sewage and mud. Soon my shoes were soaked wet.
I felt too embarrassed to ask if I could stand on the table but soon we were almost knee deep in the water. The polythene paper sagged and finally dropped. Water poured into the house from the sky.
All this time, I was watching her harvest the water on one hand while on the hand her house was flooding, leaving no where to live.
The rain stopped and she saw me to the bus stop. Now frogs there were coming out and hopping about everywhere. I tried to restrain myself from showing my fear of frogs, acutely aware of what she was going through.
All the way home I thought of her.
Where would she sleep?
Does anyone know that is the kind of life people in Mathare go through?
It bothered me a lot, especially sleeping in a warm bed that night.
I realized that the reality of life in Mathare valley can only be understood by the people who live there.
While we as a Nation are praying for rain, the people in Mathare are torn in two, on one hand, they need the clean rain water. On the other hand, the rain water will flood and ruin their homes.
I was left with a picture that I could not get over.
I could tell a lot other stories because each visit left me with images, experiences and feelings that i cannot translate into writing.
When we first got to Kiserian, it was a complete a desert. It was dry, windy and dusty. There were no trees.
Just standing out there was a recipe for severe sunburn. When I looked at the price, I saw life and I started seeing the earth feeding the people and saw that it will be a response to the day-to-day struggle of hunger of hunger in our country.
After for years of waiting this vision became a reality. A water well was drilled and I saw life beginning, the Maasai settling around the area, people purchasing vegetables and water, children taking showers and having clean water to drink.
Now, there are goats, turkey, and other farm animals and crops. Looking at all I feel a real sense that water is life. There are trees, shades, cool, nice places to rest.
I am thanking all the well wishers who have visited or come forward to help to get water, crops, animals, the list is long but i appreciate. I see the place as the future of Maji Mazuri.
