Responsiveness of MCK in addressing Orphans’ Material and Spiritual needs in Day secondary schools in Imenti North Sub-County

Abstract

The national plan of action for orphans and vulnerable children (2007 - 2010) is a noble initiative that outlines strategies to provide and protect young children aged 1-14. This plan was assimilated by the Methodist Church of Kenya (MCK), through the gospel of James 1:17 which encourages assistance to orphans and vulnerable people in society. However, MCK has not been responsive enough in its endeavour to operationalize this altruistic initiative. This is due to a lack of awareness about the nature of material and spiritual requirements for orphans. Hence, this study aimed to assess the responsiveness of Methodist Church in Kenya in addressing material and spiritual needs of orphans in day secondary schools in Imenti North Sub-County, Meru, Kenya. The study was guided by psychosocial development theory and the theory of human motivation – hierarchy of needs. Mixed research methodology was applied. The target population comprised 285 individuals that yielded a sample size of 207 respondents who comprised of; church education committee leaders, superintendent ministers, guiding and counseling teachers, principals, orphan students, and bishop. A stratification method was utilized on orphan students through categorizing them according to their classes as stratum and thereafter a simple random sampling technique applied to obtain the sample size, while the other respondents a purposive sampling technic was applied. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire and interview. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS, where factor analysis, means and frequencies were computed. The study found out that material needs for orphans and vulnerable children included food, shelter, pocket money and clothing, while the spiritual needs comprised the religious beliefs, ethics and morality. The study recommended that these material and spiritual needs be fully provided by MCK as the sponsor of the studied day schools to enhance the sense of belonging among orphans and vulnerable children