MISSIONER NEWSLETTER – Fall 2024

Kathy Flatoff, Kenya

Nyota ya Asubuhi (which means “The Morning Star”) is run by the Daughters of Charity in Kitale, Kenya. Missioner Kathy Flatoff assists them with a weekly nutrition program that serves 50 of the neediest individuals and families.

KITALE, KENYA—After arriving in Kenya earlier this year, I visited various ministry sites to decide which one I wanted to work with. I chose Nyota ya Asubuhi (which means “The Morning Star”), which is run by the Daughters of Charity, a Catholic religious order of sisters in the Matisi district of Kitale in western Kenya. 

I selected this ministry because I was impressed by the sisters’ projects to help the poorest of the poor. They work with street boys, build houses, and help with medical care and school fees. They train women to operate small businesses (i.e. selling vegetables, used clothes, etc.) so they can become self-sufficient. 

Nyota ya Asubuhi is located in a highly populated, poor area where people struggle to pay rent, buy food, and educate their children. Most are uneducated, and jobs are scarce.

Nyota ya Asubuhi also has a weekly nutrition program that serves 50 of the neediest individuals and families. Due to limited funding, the program can only serve the elderly, the disabled, malnourished adults and children, and those who are terminally ill. 

Each week the sisters give maize (“corn”) to each name on the list. On alternate weeks they also give beans. Families will often boil the corn and beans together to make a Kenyan dish known as Githeri, or they may grind the corn to a flour and make ugali, the main food staple here. Ugali is not the most nutritious food, but it fills their bellies and it is cheap to make. 

We often see children who are malnourished and frail adults who need extra nourishment besides the corn and beans, so we provide them with nutritious porridge, which they take home and boil with water. The sisters are extremely cost-conscious and they have found it is more economical to make porridge rather than buy it ready-made. That task has been given to Dominic, one of their staff, and although it is extremely time-consuming, it is a labor of love for him.

A batch of porridge starts out with about 62 pounds of corn, 18 pounds of soybeans, and 9 pounds of ground peanuts. The corn kernels are sorted by hand to remove dirt and debris. Then they are washed through several buckets of water and spread outside on a large plastic sheet to thoroughly dry. With small batches at a time, the kernels are then carefully roasted over a wood fire with constant stirring to prevent burning. Lastly, they are finely ground. The same process is then repeated with the soy beans and with the peanuts. After each has been ground, they are all mixed together and the porridge powder is complete!

For distribution, the porridge is packaged in paper bags, each holding about 2.2 pounds, and stapled shut. All that work results in 40-45 bags of porridge, which lasts about two weeks. 

Pictured, baby Clare. Clare’s aunt brought her to Nyota ya Asubuhi for help with her malnourishment after the baby’s mother died in childbirth.

Due to cost, it cannot be given to everyone in the nutrition program. When funding allows, we add packets of milk for more nutrition.

The porridge is delicious, and children are very excited when they receive a bag.  

Occasionally we see malnourished infants. Recently a young woman came to Nyota ya Asubuhi needing help for Clare, a tiny, malnourished infant.  

The mother of Clare died in childbirth. Not only did she leave her baby behind, but she also had a six-year-old son. Usually when a child has no parents, a family member will care for the child. In this case, the sister of Clare’s mother took the infant and her brother. She has two young children of her own and is struggling. 

She fed Clare a very thin mixture of cornmeal and water. She had no money for formula or milk. 

Clare was four months old when we first saw her. She was clean and smiled easily, but she was so tiny!!! We immediately provided the aunt with baby formula powder as well as baby clothes and diapers, which we keep on hand. 

We will be following Clare regularly as well as her brother to provide nutritional assistance and support their aunt.

Thank you in advance for your support for the nutrition program at Nyota ya Asubuhi!

Please consider supporting my mission work at Nyota ya Asubuhi in Kitale, Kenya. with a donation via the button below. 

If you are able, I invite you to walk with me as a “COMPANION IN MISSION.” Companions in Mission are friends and generous donors who give financial gifts on a regular (usually monthly) basis. For more information, visit Become a Companion in Mission. Thank you so much for your generosity!