About Tulip
TULIP is a charitable organisation registered in Kenya and regulated under the NGO Board. TULIP started as a small community based organisation in 2002, and was registered as an NGO in 2003. It has since had operations in Kenya, mainly in the informal settlements of Korogocho, Kibera, Kawangware and Mukuru Kwa Njenga slums. TULIP initially had its operational oversight under Nairobi Chapel and Lifespring Chapel; it is now an independent entity.
TULIP is governed by a team of trustees with broad and varied professionalism, skills and experience including business, corporate, community development, social work, teaching, accounting and IT to name but a-few. The Board meets monthly or earlier (depending on matters) to review planning, strategy, executive decisions, budgets, as well as ongoing monitoring and evaluation.
Why Kenya
Tulip’s vision and mission arose from the Founder’s passion which was informed by her faith and personal lived experiences
.
Mary Muthoni (Founder) grew up in an economically deprived family of 7 children, with her grandmother being the primary care giver/guardian. Grandmother had no job, property or assets and was a squatter in other people’s land. Grandmother did not have formal education which then limited access to opportunities such as paid employment. Mary can recall early childhood years interrupted by lack of basic needs such as food, clothes, poor sanitation, long journeys to access water and firewood, and a 3km walk to the nearest primary school.
Mary Muthoni- Founder
Mary feels that her faith in God and accessing educational opportunities have contributed significantly to improving her life chances, enabling her to access spaces she would never have otherwise considered.
Mary was able to obtain a partial government sponsorship for her secondary education, full fees scholarship and living expenses for her university education, including an undergraduate degree and two post graduate degrees.
Mary is a Commonwealth scholar (British Council) having benefited from a fully paid Masters in Development Studies at University of Sussex (UK). Mary proceeded to qualify as a Social Worker and has held various roles working in local authorities in England, including London, Birmingham and Norfolk, hence making an impact both in Kenya and abroad.
While Mary’s journey was being changed by her educational pursuit through sponsorships, this was not the case for her other siblings and majority of other girls in her community who ended up getting married or having babies as early as 14 years of age. Mary’s personal journey from poverty, like many people can attest, is a testimony that accessing educational opportunities, with right mentorship and coaching can help children and young people thrive, achieve their dreams, and contribute positively to society.
Upon completion of her undergraduate degree from Nairobi University in 1998 where she studied anthropology, Mary joined one year internship at Nairobi Chapel where she had an opportunity to pursue her calling in community development. During the internship year, Mary worked among the economically disadvantaged communities in the informal settlements, originally being based in Korogocho , consequently founding TULIP Ministry.
Although Kenya’s economy is reported to have improved over the years compared to Mary’s childhood years, the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen, a challenge that is facing many economies globally.
Recent statistics show that Kenya is rated at 38.6% of population living below the poverty line (under $2 dollars a day) (World Bank 2021). Being poor means that one is significantly deprived of basic needs such as food, fuel, electricity, sanitation, water, and has limited access to quality education and health provisions as they are unable to afford the cost of these.
Girls and women have additional barriers such as a lack of perceived value of education amongst some families/communities, lack of aspirations for girls’ schooling or education achievements compared to boys, and dropout rates as a result of teenage pregnancies and early marriages.
In many families, especially the low income families, young girls continue to take up extra work and household responsibilities inappropriate for their age, to compensate for the needs and gaps in provision for example taking care of their siblings, getting menial jobs to provide for the family, caring for the elderly, disabled and the sick, sourcing water and fuel (firewood etc)
TULIP’s work focuses on urban poor families in Nairobi (those earning less than 2 dollars a day) who face financial barriers such as unemployment, poverty and an inability to afford tuition fees, general education related expenses such as uniforms, textbooks, food, sanitary products, transport, among others.
The girls and women participants in TULIP programs include: girls with disabilities, orphaned girls, child brides, young mothers, nomadic girls, girl refugees, victims of gender-based violence, girls facing modern-day slavery, and girls living in extreme poverty, and their care givers.
TULIP works with other partner agencies both governmental and non governmental, including faith based organisations to deliver its programs and activities. The participants and partner projects / schools are selected through an open, robust and transparent process led by a qualified community development worker, and scrutinised by the board of trustees.
Some of the partners over the years included Tumaini Ministries, Nairobi Chapel, Lifespring Chapel, Population Council, Federation of African Women Empowerment (FAWE), Hope Igniters, and some other individuals and churches in Kenya, USA, Australia and Norway.