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A tale of rags to riches to rags Life changed dramatically for Esther Mulli when her husband announced they were giving up their privileged, wealthy lifestyle to start an orphanage for Kenyan street kids By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF 3 · OAKVILLE BEAVER Saturday, May 2, 2009 T hey were ordinary people who did the extraordinary and gave up lives of wealth and privilege to help thousands of Kenyan street kids. Esther Mulli and her daughter Mueni captivated an audience of more than 100 at the Harvest Bible Chapel, Friday night, telling the inspirational story of the founding of the Mully Children's Family Foundation. The privately run organization, which provides food, shelter and education to more than 2,000 Kenyan orphans, began when her husband Charles sat down to dinner one day and made an astonishing announcement. "I've decided to sell all my businesses and commit my life to helping the street children." The lead up to this life-altering moment stretches back into Esther's past. Born to a family of five children, in a small Kenyan village, she started working at a very young age, picking coffee beans for which she was paid 50 cents for every 20 kg she brought in. "I didn't go to school because my mother couldn't afford it," said Esther. "That was the life. We were poor." The amount of labour Esther had to do changed little when she married Charles Mulli because, as tradition dictated, she was required to move in with his family and ended up caring and cooking for around 13 people. Eventually Charles was able to lift Esther out of poverty and unending labour by becoming the owner and operator of a successful gas distribution business. He moved her into a large home, they had children and the future seemed nothing but bright. Everything changed, however, when one of Charles' Mercedes was stolen and police succeeded in apprehending the thieves, who turned out to be street kids. This incident had a profound effect on Charles, who had been a street kid himself before getting his life together. Charles' realization that he had to do something to help these children resulted in his dinnertime announcement. The news was not received well by his family. "I was thinking why, why, why, why, why," said Esther. Mueni, who was eight at the time, was equally perplexed. "The first thing that came to my mind was NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER FEELING GOOD FROM DOING GOOD: Esther Mulli was all smiles at the Harvest Bible Chapel as she recounted her journey from an impoverished childhood in Kenya to a privileged lifestyle only to give it all up when her husband, Charles, decided to give it all up to build an orphanage for Kenyan street kids. Today, the couple oversees two orphanages housing and educating 1,200 orphans. where will I live, what's going to happen to my room, my bed," she said. These concerns would prove justified as Charles began building his orphanage. "Imagine having your own room and then you have these kids, who you honestly do not care much for at that time, coming in your room. You have to give them your clothes. They're riding your bicycle. They actually broke my bicycle. Then the beautiful gardens in your backyard and the tennis courts are all replaced with structures to house these kids and then you have to be shipped off to boarding school," said Mueni. "About four or five months later our friends ran away from us. `Your dad's crazy,' they said. It was not easy. At that point, we felt neglected." Esther also had reservations, which exploded when Charles told her he was selling a farm they owned to pay for the orphanage. The argument is captured within the pages of the book Father to the Fatherless: The Charles Mulli Story. "You are ruining us," said Esther to Charles. "Our children are berated at school. They are laughed at. Their future is in jeopardy. Our friends are gone. Our money is gone. Are you listening to me or are you so caught up in your grand and impossible vision of reaching out to street children that you have lost your mind?" In the end, Esther decided to follow Charles on this journey. Remembering how good the security he had brought her felt, she reasoned it was worth sacrificing her own life to give others a chance to feel the same way. Over time, Charles and Esther's vision would see the creation of self-sustaining orphanages in different parts of Kenya. Mulli's orphanage in the village of Ndalani, located just outside the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, houses nearly 1,000 children and educates them to a Grade 12 level. Another orphanage in the village of Yatta takes care of around 200 young women and teaches them such skills as micro-financing, hairdressing, sewing and other trades that will allow them to eventually leave the orphanage and earn a living on their own. Exactly what this foundation means to the street kids of Kenya was made clear during a video presentation in which a young woman named Stella talked about the day Mulli gave her a home. In the video, the woman said when her father died in 1999, her mother started drinking and began beating her to the point that it became impossible for Stella, then perhaps eight years old, to stay in her home. Life on the streets followed, but one day, she said, Charles Mulli made his way to where she was and began handing out food to the street children. Footage of this food distribution was taken at the time and shows Stella, tears streaming down her face, begging Charles to take her in. He does. The video concludes with Stella thanking Charles and Esther for the future they have given her. "When you see the love they have for those children it's hard not to join them," said Mueni. The Mully Children's Family Foundation is continuing to take in street children and has aspirations of growing even larger in Kenya and one day perhaps spreading to other African countries. To learn more, visit www.mcfcf.ca or call 905-235-2886. Beaver changing publication dates Thursday edition will replace Weekend edition The Oakville Beaver is changing its publication dates. Starting next week, the Beaver will be published on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The Thursday edition will replace the Weekend paper in order to accommodate shifting advertising and customer demands. Introducing Thursday as a publication day will assist our clients and readers with the promotion of sales and upcoming events. Beaver readers can be assured they will continue to receive all the community news and advertising from favourite retailers that they have come to expect.