Charles Mully

Ev. Dr. Charles Mutua Mulli^[1] (1949- ) is a celebrated social entrepreneur and the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mully Children’s Family (MCF). MCF is a Christian non-governmental organization based in Kenya that works with disadvantaged populations to transform their lives and enable them to lead empowered and dignified lives. Mulli is the subject of the documentary film Mully, directed by Scott Haze, which is scheduled to be released in 2017.^[2]

Early Life and Family

Charles Mutua Mulli was born in 1949 in Kathithyamaa Village in Kangundo, Machakos, Kenya. Abandoned by his family at age 6, he spent his adolescence begging on the streets^[3]. Mulli attended the Kyamulendu and Kathithyamaa schools in Kangundo, Machakos; completing his primary education in 1966, he was unable to enter secondary school because he could not afford it. At age 17, Mulli walked 70 kilometers to Nairobi in search of employment; he found work at a private home where his duties included tilling the garden, washing clothes, cooking in the kitchen, and various other domestic chores. A year later, Mulli was promoted to a farm assistant and transferred to Kakuzi Farm in Thika where he met his future wife, Esther Nthenya. They married on December 22, 1970, and had 7 biological children.

Career

In 1970, Mulli began working at Strabag Road Construction Company where he oversaw all stores, remaining with the company until 1972. With the money he’d earned from Strabag, Charles bought a vehicle and began operating a public transport service running between Eldoret and Nyaru. He also began engaging in agricultural business ventures.

Mulli founded the Mullyways Agencies in the 1970s, a transportation business conglomerate, becoming very wealthy, with assets valued in millions of shillings. He also served as Chairman of Boards for several international schools in Kenya between 1970 and 1991 which included Kessup Girls Schools, Kaptagat Preparatory School and Chebisaas High School.^[4]

In 1989, Mulli sold all his property and businesses, and dedicated the proceeds to helping street children through rescue, shelter, medical care, psychosocial support, and education. Currently, Mully Children’s Family has just under 3,000 children across their centers in Ndalani, Yatta, Kitale, Kilifi, Lodwar and Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania. Since 1989, Charles and Esther Mulli have taken in more than 23,000 abandoned children.^[5]

Philanthropy

Dr. Mulli is a celebrated philanthropist and has been recognized with awards by several organizations including World Vision International (Angel of Hope in 2002); Robert W. Pierce Award (1999), UNEP (2010), The Jubilee Insurance Company Samaritan’s Award (2007), Med Assets International USA (2008), Head of State Commendation of the Republic of Kenya (2009), The Family Philanthropy Award (2012) by the East African Grant Makers Association in recognition of the contribution to philanthropic work and their impact in growing the spirit of giving alongside initiating sustainable projects; and an award in education at the Transform Kenya Awards (2014).

Education

In 2009, Charles Mulli was awarded an Honorary Doctorate degree in Humanities by the United Graduate College and Seminary. In 2011, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Social Work from Kabarak University.

Books

He is the author of My Journey of Faith and Christian Heroes: Then and Now – Charles Mulli: We are Family, and also the subject of two autobiographies and a children's book written by Paul H. Boge: Father to The Fatherless, Hope for The Hopeless, and The Biggest Family In The World.

Movie

In 2014, actor and filmmaker, Scott Haze, along with Lukas Behnken and Elissa Shay and funded by Bardis Productions (John Bardis), journeyed to MCF to document the story in film. Through re-enactments, historical and home footage, as well as present day interviews, Charles and Esther's story was retold in the documentary, MULLY. After various showings at film festivals around the nation, in 2016 FOR GOOD, LLC picked up the film for distribution and after partnering with Focus on the Family and Fathom Events, announced a 3 Day special event in 700-800 theaters on Oct. 3, 4, and 5, 2017.^[6]

Mully Children's Family

Mully Children’s Family (MCF) is a Christian charitable organization working with disadvantaged children and young adults to transform their lives and enable them lead dignified livelihoods.

MCF has designed its services along social entrepreneurship by investing in income generating activities to sustainably fund and scale up charity work. It integrates child rescue, rehabilitation and reintegration while creating safety nets in the community to provide a conducive environment for child survival.

Program Areas

There are ten areas of intervention: child protection, education and life skills, future leaders program, health care, food security and agriculture, socio-economic empowerment, water and sanitation, promotion of social justice, climate change mitigation and partnerships.

Child protection through holistic transformational development provides children with a home fit for human habitation, growth and development. This includes rescue, rehabilitation and reintegration; psychosocial support; and a sense of community.

MCF is firmly committed to offering a broad range of educational opportunities and experience to children and youths of varied ages, backgrounds, interests and needs such as mentorship and coaching, vocational training and kindergarten through college-level educational opportunity.

The future leaders program provides mentoring and coaching of youths with leadership and entrepreneurial skills through student internships, peer counselor training and a volunteer program.

MCF offers health care programs that promote the wellbeing of children, women and the larger community through free medical care, comprehensive HIV/AIDS treatment and free medical camps.

MCF ensures that the children and communities they serve have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs. They offer comprehensive nutritional care for children, a school feeding program, dryland farming, emergency relief food distribution, water harvesting/conservation for irrigation farming, distribution of milk goats to communities, livestock farming and globally certified produce for export.

MCF empowers community members as well as creates sustained awareness on development issues, poverty alleviation and child care support programs by creating job opportunities for women and youth and transfer of knowledge and skills.

MCF improves access to clean water and sanitation through water harvesting, conservation and distribution and construction of pit latrines.

MCF enhances access to justice for children, women and the vulnerable in the society through child/gender protection trainings, establishment of child/gender protection units/desks in police stations, child rights education and school mentorship program, community education initiatives and participation in policy formulation and implementation.

MCF promotes environmental conservation and the use of renewable energy as a means to mitigate the effects of climate change with activities such as tree planting and environmental conservations campaigns, promotion of green energy initiatives, water harvesting and conservation for dryland farming and ‘Adopt-a-tree’ campaigns among children and youth in schools.

MCF works with government and like-minded individuals/organizations to support programs, initiate services and replicate best practices in child care, food security, climate change, community empowerment and entrepreneurial income generating activities.

References

External links

"Mully children's family website". 

• Mully on IMDb