Karika Kenya

Our Work

KARIKA is an acronym of Kenyan Aged people Require Information, Knowledge & Advancement. This is a registered community based organization CBO, under the ministry of culture and social services in the year 2003, located in Dagoretti South Riruta location next to police station. the land in which we are located belong to the government of Kenya and we were located here by the Authority of the local leaders after we had been forcefully evicted by the landlords we used to rent their house next to K-REP BANK when they had a family land dispute in the year 2013.

Our Stories

Jane Nyanjau

“My name is Jane Nyanjau. My age is 89 years now, my husband died long time ago. I was then disinherited. I am a beneficiary of Karika group. I got to know this group through a friend of mine who came to visit me in my house. She got me without food to eat and I had no tea to give her. As I was explaining her of my situation, she asked me if I know of a group that gives food to the older people at the chief’s camp. I said no then she directed me to go and find it myself. I joined the group in the year 2003 and I have benefited very much like the clothes that am wearing I got from the group. I have got blankets, food and when I fall sick they take me to the hospital.

Flora Wakarima

“My name is Flora Wakarima. I am 80 years old. I joined Karika in 2003. I have benefited a lot with clothes, food, spiritually and morally. In the group I do weaving and knitting. My husband passed away long time ago, we had three children. Later my two children got addicted by drugs and now they are on the streets.  My only daughter got married and later her husband passed away as a result of HIV/AIDS, leaving her with 6 children. I’m living in a rental house with a backlog of arrears for 8 months. Although the group has helped me to reduce the arrears it still accumulates.

Catherine Karengo

We are delighted to share the inspiring journey of Agecare, a foundation that began in January 2021 under the guidance and inspiration drawn from KARIKAKENYA As the Founder of Agecare, it is a privilege to express how KARIKA’s mission has shaped our own.

I met KARIKA when I took on a role as a researcher conducting key informant interviews. The founder, Mr. Elijah Mwega, warmly welcomed us and shared his remarkable journey with older people in Riruta, Nairobi. The Mwega family, with their genuine warmth, took it upon themselves to care for older people. Witnessing older people spend joyful days at his center, sharing smiles and laughter, was a profound motivation for me. It inspired me to contemplate a similar project in my village in Murang’a.

Our foundation is deeply impacted by KARIKA’s noble vision to support aging individuals, foster self-sufficiency, and break the chains of poverty. The shared aspiration to advocate for older people, ensuring a brighter future filled with hope, is at the heart of Agecare’s mission.

As we celebrate the shared values and commitment to the well-being of our elderly community, we invite you to join us on this meaningful journey. Together, let’s continue positively impacting the lives of those who paved the way for our present.

 

Catherine Karengo

Founder, Agecare Foundation