It was an unexpected knock on a door in England, in 1955, that began a 60-year connection with St John's Community Centre in Pumwani, Kenya, for Pat Richardson, and later for her husband James. From this unassuming start they found themselves part of the story of this important Community Centre, in the heart of one of the most deprived areas of Nairobi.
Pat's time spent as Warden, and James' years as a Committee Chairman, give them a unique vantage point to explore the twists and turns of the centre's evolution. The introduction of modern social work, the provision of education and employment opportunities, including the establishment of a labour-intensive industry, screen-printing fabric by hand, helped women who wanted to discontinue the time-honoured business of sex-work and beer-brewing, to support themselves.
The role played by the Centre during the HIV/AIDS endemic was challenging and productive, reaching thousands of families devastated by the disease and meeting the needs of orphans and vulnerable children left otherwise unsupported upon the death of their parents. This activity was extensive geographically, operating in other regions and rural communities of Kenya and intensive in the holistic relief, provided to the children, requiring food, school fees and protection as well as sympathy and psychological counselling in their bereavement.
The Centre now concentrates on vocational training and encourages the formation of groups, mostly of the youth, who provide mutual support for their members, with joint savings schemes and entrepreneurial activities, designed to empower them, making them self-sufficient. It is part of the broader, overarching aim of encouraging and enabling the community to empower itself, the Centre constantly adapting to meet the needs of the people of Pumwani as best it can.
"Bearing Each Other's Burdens" is both a personal journey and a historical narrative that entwines private memories with inspiring accounts of determination and purpose, all of which make up the unique story that is St John's Community Centre, Pumwani.