24 Mar Faces of Children of Hope: Highlighting Our Cleaning Staff
At Children of Hope, our faith in God has allowed us to create a nurturing and safe family within our homes. They say it takes a village to raise children, and in our case, it really does. Our staff are the heart of our homes who go above and beyond to ensure our homes are functioning well on a daily basis.
Today, we are excited to celebrate our cleaning team for their hard work and continued support in making our homes a caring and welcoming place for our children. We are incredibly thankful for their diligence and care, especially during the challenging times of COVID-19. Without our staff, we wouldn’t be where we are today.
A Day in the Life of Our Cleaning Team
With an early start to the day, our cleaning team starts off the morning by separating and washing laundry for our children. They then move on to clean the floors and walls of the homes, and make sure that the washrooms and bedrooms are neat and tidy. In the afternoons, the cleaning team folds and hands off the laundry to respective aunties and caregivers to put into the children’s wardrobes.
Despite having a designated routine, our cleaning staff are an integral part of our homes at Children of Hope. They serve as leaders and mentors to our children and spend time with them during the weekends and school holidays. Our cleaning staff are instrumental in guiding and helping our children with their laundry and cleaning chores.
For the older children, our cleaning team guides the cleaning activities for the day by assigning roles and responsibilities to our children, and then supervising them and showing them how to do things the right way. The younger children, on the other hand, learn simple but essential tasks like sorting and folding clothes, cleaning shoes, and dusting shelves. Our children look forward to spending time with our cleaning team because they make the learning process enjoyable and effortless.
Our cleaning team plays a very critical role in the lives of our children. At Children of Hope, we think of our staff as “parents” to our children. When they’re not working, they spend time daily caring for, protecting, nurturing, and sharing God’s love with each and every one of our children.
Let’s take a moment to learn a little more about the aunties and uncles in our cleaning team who make Kitatale and Kikuyu a home.
Kikuyu Cleaning Team
Meet Agnes Khamati
A diligent member of our cleaning team since 2015, Agnes is a happy-go-lucky person who is always full of energy. You can hear her singing wholeheartedly while working everyday. When she’s not running around from workstation to workstation, you can find her joking around with the children and teaching them cleaning tips and tricks. The children are always excited to work with Agnes, and find her to be a very selfless person. Her love for our children doesn’t go unnoticed when they miss her on her days off.
Meet Lilian Shikanga
Lilian joined our cleaning team in January last year on a part-time basis to lend a hand to Agnes. Although quiet and reserved, Lilian has an excellent eye for detail. She loves attending to all areas of the house and making sure that nothing goes undone. Agnes and Lillian make a great team together and support each other on a daily basis. The children have gotten to know Lilian over the last year and they think she is an incredible addition to their home.
Kitalale Cleaning Team
Meet Martha Awuor
Martha has been with our family for just over a decade now. A quiet and soft personality, Martha’s love for God and her belief in her faith is a strong and wonderful presence for our children. She loves to start her day by reading her morning devotions. A team leader, Martha plays a crucial role in making sure everything is running smoothly around the house. As a mother of 3, Martha has a maternal and nurturing touch, which allows her to care for our children and support them in any way she can.
Meet Lydiah Matum
Lydia was one of the first people to join our home in 2010 and has been a strong pillar in our cleaning team ever since. A team player, Lydia is committed to making sure the work is done properly. Although firm, Lydia has a very loving and caring side to her. As a mother of 8, Lydia knows her way around children and serves as a mentor to the older children in our home. She loves advising them on life choices and is always there to answer any questions they might have. Her wealth of experience allows children to always seek her out when they need guidance and/or someone to talk to.
Meet Marion Chepkoech
A diligent and hardworking person, Marion is a great addition to our cleaning team. She has a quiet personality and goes about her day making sure all her tasks are done. A great timekeeper as well, Marion does a good job of ensuring everything is on track. A loyal team player and mother of 3 boys, Marion loves working with the older girls in the house when she can. The girls think of her as a close friend and confidant and feel safe sharing their life experiences and challenges with her.
Love Goes A Long Way In Our Homes
Despite their part in making sure our working environment is clean and tidy, our cleaning team plays an even bigger part in being a role model and caregiver to our children. Our children have formed close bonds with our cleaning team, and they look up to them with great adoration.
When asked about how our children feel about their aunties and uncles on the cleaning team, this is what they had to say.
“I enjoy working with Auntie Martha, she teaches me great ideas on cleaning clothes and keeping our house clean and tidy,” said Praise from our Kitalale home.
“Auntie Agnes has been teaching me great ideas like doing laundry using the washing machines,” said Terrence from our Kikuyu home. He went on to explain, “She also comes to our house and shows us how to clean floors and walls, and plays with us whenever she is free. We enjoy that so much with her.”