Cost of living Nairobi

Hi..i applaud u for what u have been doin its not every day that a person burdens himself with the problems of another..on any given day 500$ is alot of money if you r living in the village..there are alot of other famillies that would really appreciate that kind of money and even half of that if you are serious on your offer i could conect you with them..and again i take my hat off in recognition for efforts..may God bless you  abundantly.

Right now I am interested in knowing how far that money can go for the family.    Once I know these facts than we can decide if we are able to give to others without hurting them. I want to be wise in what we do, I do not want to send them into further hardship I know they depend on the money we send to feed the familly and help the village.

Arent u in communication with the familly...if you want i could come up with a typical budget for a familly in the village..and u could use it to know how far the money goes into helping them...

USD 500 pm is quite a lot for someone living in the village and could support an entire family.

Hi,

Yes, once you pass out of Nairobi into the villages, then that becomes a LOT of money.

If you consider a typical homehelp in Nairobi, working full-time with a family earns between $70 and $120 a month.

Granted if they stay at the home in which they work, they mos likely get their food included, but given that the staple food is Ugali (Maize Meal) which is very cheap, even those that go home to their family in the evening can still support themselves and their children.

One thing I will say is that this is a very generous gesture, but if you have any way of ensuring that it is ACTUALLY going to your intended recipient, try to check that out.

$500 could support a very large family, but not if the money is being taken by the men of the household for drinking and gambling...

I'm a skeptic I guess, but after spending some time in Kenya, I guess you learn to be that way, with the amount of corruption at the lower echelons of society that is usually reserved for corporations and governments in the Western World!

You should try visiting the family you are supporting and see the positive effect you are having on their lives.

Can I ask how you found this family?

Take care,
Alan

Hi,
I would agree with Uncle.  $4-500 is a LOT of money for someone living in a village away from Nairobi - that would normally be enough to feed a poor family for around 6 months.  To be honest I haven't heard of the name of the village; if you can find out more details I could try and check it for you.

It's a great gesture on your part, I only hope the money is going to where you intend it.  You need to be aware that scams are in abundance over here.

It would be interesting to hear who put you in contact with the family - was a Kenyan charitable organization or was it unsolicited mail? How did you transfer the cash to them?

All the best

THank you so much for your input.  The famiy we send the $ to is actually someone who we met here in the US when he was here on a student visa.  My husband studied the BIble with him babtized him and through some very hard decisions he went back home to Nairobi.  We have given him money to start a business which he says earns a profit every month now, in addition to the money we send him.  He is now asking for money to send his daughter to college, $3000.00 US a year. 

We have not been in contact with his wife or children only him.
 
My heart is not settled on sending him so much every month, my husband feels that it is SO HARD to live in Africa and wants to help. 

We are from the US, not Africa I have NO way of knowing how far the money goes, he says he spends $200- $250.00/month on food, $50.00 - $100.00 on medicine $100.00 on orphans but now needs more money for his daughter to go to college.
We do not have $3000.00 lying around to send him for his daughter.  I will try to get in contact with his wife...maybe that will be a good way to find out what is going on.
I wish I could just stop at his house and check on him !
I can find out more details about his village, location and everything but from what you all are tellimg me $500.00 should be more than enough for his family.
We have sent extra to put his two oldest through high school, in addition to the monthly we send.  It seems that he should be able to take care of schooling and family on the $500.00/month ?

is it mwehiko or mwihoko? I know of a village called Mwihoko in an area called Juja near Thika. It is very important you check on this family to ensure that your dollars actually go to the intended use.

Simon

Dear Minamanda,

I have been living in Nairobi off and on for several years, and fully agree that $500 is quite a lot of money for the average Kenyan family.  For instance I pay my house girl approximately $220 per month, which is on the higher side for house help.  With that money she supports 4 children and has bought some land just outside Nairobi to build a house. 

I would highly doubt that the individual needs over $200 for food each month, as that is what I spend on my family eating mainly expat type food.  That said, they may need the money for other things and just don't know how to explain it to you.  Unless there is a serious medical problem for which they are actually in the hospital, medication is quite cheap here.  Ofter the pharmacies sell the generic brands that are not available in North America.

I currently support a young girl to go to school.  She is from Western province, near a place called Kakamega.  She is only in primary school, but for her to go to a good private school up-country it cost me about $300 per term, including boarding.  I am now moving her to a top primary boarding school closer to Nairobi and the price will go up to about $800 per term.  When she goes home during her holidays, I give her between $50 and $100 to help her family for the month.  This is literally more money that they get the rest of the year.  Each time I increase my assistance, I ask myself can I sustain this support.  For me, I do not want to start sending this girl to school, only to have to take it a way at some point.

As someone who has committed myself to assisting a young girl in Kenya, my advice to you is to think long and hard about what you are able and willing to give freely.  Once you have decided on the amount, stay firm and don't ask to many questions (even if it is going somewhere goods, people may tell you something different just to be safe... which will only lead to you questioning everything).  You may want to think of tangible things you can do to support the family, rather than just giving a monthly amount.  For instance, I pay the school fees directly to the school.  This way the minimal money I send to the family, is theirs to do as they please and I am sure I am making an impact on the girls life.  Could you offer to pay for the college tuition instead of the monthly payments? 

It is always hard when offering support to a family you cannot see.  Be proud of yourself and don't let the various concerns that will inevitably come up cloud the good deed you and your family are doing!

I hope this helps,

Frankly speaking I think you are being taken for a ride.  Life in Kenya is tough. Many people survive by taking advantage of good natured people like you.  I send my parents who live in the city $500 a month, this a lot of money for someone living in the city, I am sure it goes a long, long way in the village. The average bank manager in city earns $500 (KSH 38000) per month and they pay rent, buy food and pay schools fees.  Essentially you are paying a city dewellers salary to someone in the village.  As suggested by other bloggers help by sending funds directly to a school ask for a copy of an invoice and make arrangements to send the funds directly to the college. I am in the US let me know if you would like to discuss over the phone good luck

I think that is more than enough for some one in Kenya

Apparently he is supporting 6 adults and 3 children on the money we send him.  Every month it seems he tells us that he or someone in his family has malaria and that he has to get medication for it. I keep praying that God will reveal what is really going on.  I wish someone could just go track him down !

Hit me up
[email protected]

Hi Legioner!

Maybe a brief introduction would be appropriate.

Regards
Armand

Well Everyone, you were right we found out that he has been lying to us for years!! he owns rental properites, a few cabs, and apparently is running for some kind of political office in Githurai.  His name is JOHNSON GITHINJI do not vote for him!!!  He is telling us he has no running water, we've been putting two children through school and sending him money to live on.  All I can say is we did it with sincere hearts and were happy to help.

I have been living in Uganda, Kenya, Sénégal, G Bissau and Ghana. when I read your first post today, I was thinking, WOW they are taking him for a ride.

Sorry for your bad experience, but you are partly to blame cause beeing naive. Please in the future examine before acting.