A Centre Built for Care, Growth and Belonging
The current center, housed in a semi-permanent building next to a bustling market, is in urgent need of a permanent space. We aim to purchase land nearby and build a new, permanent center with separate dormitories, classrooms, and outdoor spaces for recreation, agriculture, and a healthier environment. This new facility will be a miracle for the children, giving them the chance to grow and learn in a space where they feel safe and valued.
Who We Welcome and How We Prepare Them for Life
The Children's Centre will welcome all bona fide orphans and children in need, after a vetting process overseen by a Board Sub-Committee. There will be no discrimination in terms of gender, race, tribe, religion or medical condition.
All children aged 16 years and under would be welcomed into the Centre, and boarders would move out at the age of 18, equipped with, at the very least, basic education and trade skills that would enable them to thrive on their own. We will help them find jobs, once they leave, through an Alumni Committee of Volunteers, who will stay in touch with other children that have gone on to build successful lives and might be expected to give back in whatever capacity they can.
The Spaces, Skills and Systems That Will Shape Their Future
We envision that the Children’s Centre would be initially designed to board on a full time basis up to eight children in each of six dormitory type rooms – a total of 48 children altogether. Four of the dormitories would be for the younger children and for every two, there would be a self-contained unit for a caregiver (Dorm Master) who would reside on the premises. Each of the dormitories would have its own washroom facilities comprising showers, wash basins and toilets (the orange areas in the sketch above), with plenty of windows for natural light. The Children’s Centre would be set in around two to three acres of grounds, to enable expansion at a later date."
The gardens would comprise of play areas, vegetable patches to be maintained by the children and within the larger plot of land, an area to grow maize and a fenced off portion for chickens and a couple of dairy cows. All of these farming activities would be maintained by the children, teaching them both life skills and life values.
The Centre would use solar power, draw water from its own borehole and to the extent that it can, use recycled materials in its construction. The children will be taught to recycle garbage, food and waste, building an awareness of - and appreciation for - environmental care.
In this Centre, we want our children to build strong foundations: to become confident, competent and kind individuals who understand the value of self-reliance, or responsibility, of hard work, of resourcefulness and of caring for others.
We initially plan to raise Ksh 50 million, in the form of cash or good and services in order to purchase land, construct the Centre and equip the completed classrooms and living areas. Thereafter, any surplus if any, will be applied to an endowment fund for the benefit of the running of the orphanage.