The Joyful Hearts Centre was established in December 2019, when a group of seven mothers of seven boys with cerebral palsy opened a drop-in centre in Kawangware. The set up costs for the centre were donated by Claire Forster ( Liz’s oldest school friend - they have known each other since they were 4 years old!) a generous donor in Canada who met with the mums and the founders, John and Lilian Kiriko on a visit to Kenya in October 2019.

“From the start of our journey, I could see the psychological pain that these mother’s were experiencing. They loved their children without doubt. I realised that we didn’t have the power to make life fair for these children or their mothers BUT we did have the power to make life joyful.

These children are not a distraction from more important work but are their most important work. I always remind the ‘JOYFUL’ mothers of this.”

Lilian Kiriko (Founder of Joyful Hearts)

“When I met this group of women and their children I was overwhelmed with a wide range of emotions, from utter despair through to inspiration. These women, already forced to live in extreme poverty now have the additional challenge of a less able child in a country that places stigma on disabled children. I was so inspired that I immediately cancelled a planned trip and reallocated the funds to setting up Joyful Hearts to support these incredibly brave women and their wonderful children."

Claire Forster (Canadian Major Donor)