Hello!

In the beginning we were three people; Kerstin, Sandra and Johan from Sweden and Norway. We started a project at the government centre for street children in Nairobi, Kenya.

Situation

It is illegal to be a street child in Nairobi, and if the police find them, they will be arrested and placed at this centre. The government are supposed to take care of the children, and have a future plan for them, but because of a lot of corruption and politics, the children are not very good taken care of. They lack basic needs like toothpaste, soap, washing powder, clean beds, proper food etc. They rely on donations from others, and a lot of things that are donated to the centre disappear before they reach the children.

This government centre is supposed to be a reception centre before they are transferred to a permanent centre, but it often takes a long time before they are transferred. Some of the children has been there over two years.

It’s not a good place to live as it is now, the children are trying to run away, and feels that it’s sometimes better to live on the streets because of all the abuse.

The children are sometimes getting beaten up, and we need to stop that! At the moment, they are not being activated. They are locked inside this centre without any toys or games.

We want to change this

That’s why Kerstin and Sandra move to Kenya in August 2009, to get started and make sure that all that’s donated through our organization will stay at the centre and be given to the children.

What we want to achieve

• We want the children to get education, workshops and other activities.
• We want to make the centre a home instead of an institution.
• We also want to be someone that the kids can trust and rely on and come to when they need someone to talk to.
• We want to get them a football coach, games and other activities.
• We also want to focus on the individual child, and develop their own personal interests, and give them hope for the future.

How are we going to achieve this?

So our plan now, is to get sponsors for each and every child. Our first priority is to hire a teacher to educate them, a football coach to exercise and entertain and to give them the necessary basic needs.

We have made profiles of all the children, and every sponsor will get updates about their lives. They will also have a chance to contact them and send something if they wish.

If a child who is sponsored is being transferred from the centre, the sponsorship will follow the child as far as we can keep in touch with the child. Sometimes a child is reunited with their families, and we will try to follow up to see that they are taken good care of and continues their education.

If you want to help

The government centre

We are asking for 25 Euros per month per child. We are not taking any administrative charge yet, only transactions fees from the bank.

We also need donations for the centre. These contributions will be shared with all children, and the centre itself. The building is not in very good condition, and we will push the government to restore it. When that has been done, we need to get some sofas and tables to make it as a home. Any donations are welcome.

We are also open for suggestions and ideas. Please, don’t hesitate to ask if you have questions.

Best regards,

Soulkids Staff