Moving Mountains Kenya

Moving Mountains Kenya is a registered NGO in Kenya and has been operating since 2004 implementing the programmes and projects which are funded by the Moving Mountains Trust in the UK. Strategy and budgets are jointly discussed by the UK and Kenyan board members, and most of its administrative costs are borne by Adventure Alternative.

The MM Kenya committee are all Kenyans who have been involved with the charity for many years and who also work for Adventure Alternative. They have many years of experience working on the programmes and projects and have all proved themselves in running a successful NGO.

Gilbert Njeru (middle) oversees social welfare, educational and health programmes in Embu, chairs meetings and manages volunteers and elective students. Qualified in community development and an experienced counsellor.

Francis Kioni (right) oversees construction projects, chairs meetings and advises on educational and social welfare programmes.

Joseph Mungai  (left) handles distribution of funds and helps with community health programmes.

Additional staff include:

Helping to make MM Kenya a success story, from left: Moses Kamau, Eva Muronji, Gilbert Njeru, Ruth Gachiri, Kenneth Amani, Francis Kioni and Joseph Mungai. All of them have been involved for many years.

Links

2024 Three Year Strategy

History of Moving Mountains in Kenya

Moving Mountains Kenya was founded initially to support street kids in Nairobi with extra-curricular programmes that helped them back into school. It began back in the mid 1990s when the founder Gavin Bate was living in Kenya and working with a number of aid agencies including volunteering with an initiative by the Kenya Scouts to re-unite street children with their families and help them into school.The pilot programme began in Muthurwa Primary School in the industrial area of Nairobi where Gavin helped develop the idea of clubs and activities to keep children in school rather than out on the street.

Early years - the original class at Muthurwa Primary School back in 1998

The programme included an annual summer camp, which became known as 'Africamp', and these still run today. Every summer groups of children from a wide variety of backgrounds and from all over the country would come to a large campsite in Kibera on the outskirts of Nairobi where Gavin often lived between his travelling and climbing expeditions. There were many activities, but the main aim was for children to have fun and feel safe and to feel incentivised to stay off the streets, continue in school and take part in the programme.

An early Africamp from 1996 held at Rowallan Campsite outside Nairobi. The two people in the centre - Andy MacDonald and Chris Little - are still trustees of Moving Mountains Trust.

Over the years many hundreds of children took part in Africamp but the Kenyan Scout involvement ended, and Gavin started Moving Mountains Kenya as a registered NGO in order to continue the work. At this time the sponsorship from his climbing expeditions enabled the newly formed charity to engage in lots of other activities which included renovating schools, building homes for orphaned children and a rescue centre in Embu, and supporting many children through primary and secondary school, and eventually into tertiary level education or vocational study. The aim was always to provide long term commitment to each child. Most of the work at that time was centred on Siaya district in western Kenya, Solio and Naro Moru near Mount Kenya. 

One of the first schools we renovated in Siaya district was Wagai Primary, over the years we rebuilt fourteen schools.

During the years of Gavin's Everest expeditions, Moving Mountains Kenya was able to support hundreds of children through education and in  the home, and the Africamps every summer were extremely popular, now attracting young people from the UK to come out and join the experience. Many people came time and time again, making long term friends. Many of the original beneficiaries of those early camps throughout the 2000s still volunteer and work with Moving Mountains. As the charity has moved into its second generation of beneficiaries, people talk about the NGO as a family and everyone is still there to support each other.

Original beneficiaries at one of the many Moving Mountains reunions. Every one is a success story in his or her own right, and most now have young children of their own, who will never suffer the same privations that they did.

Some of course did not do so well, the traumas of their childhood revisited them in adulthood and they were less successful in life. But the opportunity and support was there, as it has been for hundreds and hundreds of children who have become part of the Moving Mountains family and gone on to achieve social mobility and break out of the poverty trap.

As is normal in life, there were many ups and downs over the many years. The charity faced its fair share of issues, including having to deal with people who misappropriated funds and people who manipulated their status and privilege. But through it all the values of honesty and loyalty that Gavin always talked about won through. Moving Mountains Kenya has a very good reputation in Kenya as an NGO which unusually provides long term support and a relevant strategy to the problem of underprivileged children and families in need.

Moving Mountains beneficiary Felix Ogolla who grew up in Ulamba Children's Home and was supported by MM throughout his childhood is now a successful individual and a great role model, in this picture he is helping young people at the Embu Rescue Centre.

Background to the work with Street Children

A lot of the children ran loose in the slums while their parents were out working and eventually got lost, and many were forced to live rough on the streets which became a way of life. For many it was an exciting way of life, and some turned to petty crime. Most went hungry and sniffed glue to counter the feeling of hunger, and of course they begged from tourists. Begging became the easiest way to get money, and pimps would control gangs of children to beg in key areas, playing on the emotions of tourists.

Young girls were forced into prostitution and street gangs were common. Children were an easy target for the police and many ended up in jail because they had no ID; the only way to get them out of jail would be with a small payment or 'kitu kidogo'. Jail cells would be filled with children and the challenges for a child once inside were very difficult indeed. Many times Gavin would use his salary as a climbing guide to pay for children to be released.

The aim was always to incentivise children to stay off the streets and stay in school and have a home life. Moving Mountains achieved this by providing very long term support and a family atmosphere amongst its staff.

As Moving Mountains Kenya developed, one of the main tasks was to try and link a child with his or her family or nearest relative and try to keep them together and the child at school. The after school club programme worked well,  like reading and sports, and it kept the children occupied and happy.

Often the children would go on safaris to see wild animals or the Indian Ocean, and there were always birthday parties and events to celebrate. Gradually that first cohort of children came to see each other as family and Moving Mountains became the sponsor of many who went to secondary school and into training. The aim was always to give young people a sense of self worth and identity, an opportunity to achieve something in their own right, and Moving Mountains does this by acknowledging not just the rights of the individual but also the dreams and aspirations of every individual.

Thus, the idea of Moving Mountains Kenya began, a life journey for Gavin of providing almost a surrogate family to needy children from early age right the way through to adulthood and the next generation. In that respect the task is a little like moving a mountain, but no less daunting than the daily struggles of the children who live life rough on the streets. Given the opportunity and the support, they can all survive and thrive.

Role models in Moving Mountains

Sarah Kinuthia was a headmistress at Muthurwa Primary School and a very old friend of Gavin's, who took on the job of managing the welfare of our beneficiaries through school. She was a huge figure in many children's lives, always kind and solicitous and a big influence on the work of the charity.

Charles Otieno is a headteacher in Siaya district and helped Moving Mountains navigate the educational department in that region which enabled us to renovate fourteen schools, build a children's home and run it successfully for well over a decade, and provide a happy environment for many hundreds of children who the charity supported. Charles is a remarkable man for his continual charm and positivity and the care he provides for children.

Gilbert Njeru is such a big character and role model for so many children in Embu that it is hard to estimate the extent of his influence over many years. He puts child welfare at the forefront of his daily work, but is also a highly respected citizen in the community with influence in many of the business and church spheres. In this Gilbert prepares to cycle from the summit of Mount Kenya to the Indian Ocean to help raise funds for the charity.

From humble beginnings in Kibera Francis Kioni has been a man of honesty and integrity his whole life, and he is now an elder of the Moving Mountains family with extraordinary influence as a role model on so many young people in Kenya. Not only that he has virtually single-handedly managed the project management of nearly every building the charity has ever built and renovated in over twenty years. He is as comfortable sitting with a group of builders as he is meeting MPs, but everyone recognizes 'a good man' when they meet one.

Jacton Otieno was one of the most loved members of the Moving Mountains family, and knew almost everybody right from day one. His honesty was palpable, but it was his humour and sense of fun that everyone remembers the most. Whatever the circumstances, his distinctive laugh would carry the day, and so many people took comfort and joy from his company.

Eva Muronji from the start of her involvement with Adventure Alternative has always been a trusted friend to many, always willing to give time and concern to anyone who needed a caring ear. Eva has long been involved with Moving Mountains, setting an example of honesty and compassion and also pragmatism.

Joseph Mungai has gone from being supported by Moving Mountains to being a director of Adventure Alternative Kenya and on the board with Moving Mountains Kenya, and a highly important and valued role model amongst the MM family. Always able to maintain his composure and with a capacity for great work, Joseph has always been well spoken and honest and decent, qualities that many others have aspired to.