Adopt a child in Kenya
- Where: KILIFI, KENYA
- What we do: DISTANCE ADOPTION
- For whom: 29 CHILDREN
- What you can do: SUPPORT US WITH 30€ A MONTH
Title of the project
Adopt a child in Kenya
Place of intervention
Kilifi, Kenya
Description of the context
The poverty rate in the district of Kilifi, a town halfway between Mombasa and Malindi exceeds 71% of the population (http://www.opendata.go.ke). Among children under 5 years old, more than one out of six are underweight (www.indexmundi.com). The density of doctors is less than 1,5 % (0.14 every 1,000 people, www.indexmundi.com ). Only 7.1% of the population of Kilifi has completed secondary school education (www.opendata.go.ke). In Kilifi, slightly more than 16% of buildings have access to electric current. In this context, there is the “Mwangaza” community home shelter which is located in the area of Kiwandani, which usually hosts between 30 and 40 children aged between 0 and 18 years old.
The project
The project aims at contributing to the growth of orphaned, abandoned children or children from very poor or disadvantaged families, who are housed in the community home shelter called Mwangaza (light in Kiswaili) through support in their everyday life. Hosted children are entrusted by the court because they are abandoned or in temporary emergency for periods that may vary depending on the situation.
The project took shape in 2009 when John (the Pentecostal priest) gathered children without a family in a hut made of mud and straw.
In 2009, thanks to funds gathered among acquaintances and friends, Mr. Van Donge (a Dutchman relocated in Italy) built the well and the first masonry structure. There were two dormitories, the refectory/kitchen, the pantry, toilets/showers, and a small office.
After a friendship and relation of collaborative support between the President Michele Muffi and Mr. Van Donge, the voluntary organization Annulliamo la Distanza, has entirely inherited and managed since 2012. In that year, the first italian volunteer Antonella, spent a month in the building, where many other interventions and missions aimed at improving social and health conditions of beloved and appreciated children, have then developed.
In 2013 a land near the existing building was bought by the association and a dormitory for girls was built to expand the existing one. Furthermore the kitchen was provided with a new wood stove, safer and more ecological. In 2015 a dormitories’ expansion started and in 2017 the realization of an orphanage internal library was completed. In that specific place, children were allowed to study and do recreational activities of reading.
The voluntary organization Annulliamo La Distanza, supports the community home shelter “Mwangaza” project gathering subscriptions for children long-distance adoptions, supporting them through time.
Thanks to your help, Annulliamo la Distanza facilitates the access to education and medical treatments for these children. Meanwhile, AnlaDi tries to improve their life standard, supporting all the activities connected with the building (nutrition, education, phycological support, materials supply, building maintenance and restoration, etc). The building is managed by a director and a staff of seven, including a social worker-educator who follows children as they grow and helps the director with administration, the mamas who look after the children, clean and cook, a night watchman and a maintenance worker-helper.
With the passing of the years and the consequent acquisition of experience in the management of the structure and related interpersonal relations, the work of the association has produced remarkable and irrefutable results. Children are growing and finishing their studies, a difficult dream for the majority of children living near the orphanage. Nutritional and health conditions have been continuously improving, as well as the mood and vitality of little guests. We strongly believe in this project and we continue supporting and giving light to Mwangaza.
Achieved result
Throughout 2023, 29 children have been permanently assigned to the facility by the authorities to enjoy protection, medical support, food security and school support. Other 15 children, who have returned to their families, are now being looked after and supported in their studies. Moreover Mwangaza has become in the last three years an important point of reference for social services and law enforcement agencies to resolve emergency situations requiring a temporary protected place (which can range from a few days to several months) before a safe reintegration of the children within the extended family unit can be found. In the last months, Annulliamo la Distanza has looked after more than ten children in the Mwangaza facility.
Every year, at least one new volunteer mission is carried out. For one to two weeks, they work side by side with the facility manager and the social worker to check the progress of the child care and protection project in all aspects and to find ways to improve the quality of aspects already offered.
At the moment, some children remain without long-distance adoption, so we are looking for new supporters who can help us maintain the costs of their care.
