Together making a big difference

For a child who was once on the streets, rescued and reintegrated with his/her family, being in school is the best thing that can ever happen to them. But poverty makes this dream impossible. Children face tough challenges: But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Tumaini Kwa Watoto has been in existence for over 20 years, and we aim to expand our programs offered to the community in our mission to Set Lonely Children into Families, building a strong foundation for their future.

We make this a reality every day by seeing children out of the streets, every term by getting them to school and education needs relying on the generosity of individuals and partners for support. With your support we make a great difference in the lives of school going children.

Visualize a life without the ability to read or do basic math. For over 56% of elementary-aged children around the world who don’t meet minimum reading proficiency standards, the future can look depressing.
Together, we can do more than just getting children out of the streets in to school; we can empower them for a better future; Equipped with literacy, essential life skills, growing into adults who earn higher wages, educate their own children, and have a voice in their community.
Many children in our education program needs school fees and needs support. From January to July, 126 children were removed from the streets and reintegrated into their families. For every child removed from the streets, it is an opportunity for partnership and giving.

->For a child in primary school $25/£20/Kes2600 per month keeps 1 child off the streets, in the family and in school
->For a child in secondary school, $100/ £80/Kes10000 keeps them off the streets and in school
->For the child’s needy family, $100/£80/Kes10000 one time gift meets their basic needs

How to Partner…
You can make a difference in the life of a child through a one-time monetary gift or monthly gift to our education empowerment program or by sponsoring a child. Your partnership and gifts will help sponsor 50+ children to have access to life-changing benefits like educational support and life skills.

What you can to expect from us:
While your gifts are changing lives, you will get to see the power of your generosity through quarterly updates. You will receive a scanned thank you note from the child, their report card, recent photo and fee structure for next term!

“Every child counts...And this is a special day for us. We have 2000 children off the streets and making progress in their different lives.

Fifteen years old Dave is our No. 2000 and rescued off the streets last week. As a first born of his two siblings, Dave was forced to drop out of school due to lack of school fees. His only parent- the mother nobody know of her whereabouts and hence their grandparents being their guardian.  the grand parents are retired  and currently practicing subsistence farming.

David ended up on the streets after he was sent back home from school due to high fees balance that he had incurred in the school from previous term. David felt going home was adding more burden to his grandparents and with the small monies in his pocket that he had saved after selling charcoals came to Nairobi to look for casual jobs. But his plans backfired. He was stranded and walking aimlessly in school uniform, made a TKW social workers approach him. Dave was later  rescued, the team facilitated his going back home and to school by pleading his case to the headteacher. The school agreed to enroll Dave with hope that his school fees shall be paid.
The grand parents were glad to have their grandson back but knew sustaining him in school would take a miracle. They have no one else to fend for them and expressed how Dave does casual jobs in the village to buy food for the family. Dave also burns charcoal to sell for food despite the business declared illegal. In absence of the grandparents he is in charge of the family. He has more responsibility than he can carry.

How does your support help?

• Cost of relating with a child on the streets, rescuing them, and 3 home visits per year is Kes 30000 (£300)
• A child cannot go to school unless they have uniforms. It costs just Kes 6000 (£50) in Kenya to provide two uniforms and a few exercise books and pens for a child.
• It costs Kes 7000 (£60) to cover all school costs for a child in primary school for a year.
• For Kes 22000 (£200) a year a teenage boy/girl can be taught a skill – carpentry or dressmaking or even computer skills. They become self-sufficient and the whole community benefits.
• It cost Kes 15000 (£150) to help a family start a small business
• It costs Kes 12000 (£100) to help a mother buy a sewing machine so that she can run a small business and feed her family.

Pretty good value for money?  We welcome you to make Tumaini Kwa Watoto your charity of choice

HOPE: Restoration is a Journey…

Without support and encouragement they face danger that changes their lives for the worse. They want to be in school and in a family, growing like any other child.

TKW work to help these children off the streets, away from risk, to a family and into school. We do not believe in children centers but work toward changing the lives of as many children as possible- one at a time. We spend time meeting and befriending children on the streets; through trust we build again the missing link in most street children’s lives.  We work to guard the children and prevent them from depending on the street in the first place.

Restoration is a progressive journey which for some children, takes long time to be achieved and for others the journey is shorter.  Every child has a reason why they ended up on the streets. They share this during relating, rescue and reintegration.

TKW vision of holistically transforming children formally living on the streets into productive and responsible persons in society, Children join schools and young people who cannot join formal education are enrolled into informal vocational education to attain skills and empowered to live a productive independent life.

Usually children in touch with street-life once re-integrated tend to look ahead with optimism. Once rescued, a child goes through a process of Rehabilitation and Restoration.

And in the recent weeks we sought to look back into children in their restoration journey and highlight just a few…

For Gaite, it has been a journey of 8 years since his rescue. Life was quite twisted as he has had to go through obstacles, hardships and limitations to life earlier in his childhood. BUT today, he is a settled young man in High school (Form 2).
 “I used to live on the streets, but Tumaini Team helped me out, back home, relocated us and now I am in school.”

Antony was on the streets as a result of a hard life involving lack of food and basic necessities at home to the extent of going without meals several days. He joined the streets to fend for himself. He could do all sorts of activities ranging from picking scrap, to selling of tomatoes for people to ensure that he gets what to eat. “Life on the streets was really harsh”
In 2017, TKW met with him and was rescued. His reintegration was rocky at first but the process was unstoppable. It is tough for a child to live on the streets because they have nobody to take care of them. All children should live in a safe place and go to school. Antony wanted to continue studying to help other children off the streets in future.
“I am lucky because I am now home where I eat well and go to school. I know many other children are not lucky and are still on the streets, suffering…”

Alex was abandoned by his mother after birth and his aunts took him in but none of them could live with him permanently. As a result Alex lived with different relatives at any given time. He felt rejected. In 2016, his mother came back and took Alex to live with her. Life with his mother was a misery. He was physically abused and bore marks from a knife cut inflicted by his mother. It was at this point that he joined the streets.

When TKW met Alex in 2017, he suggested that he could go to his Grandmother. And that’s where Alex restoration journey begun. Though it hasn’t been easy for him to catch up with his education as he was older for his class the teachers were supportive.
Three years down and Alex is in class 5 and leading performance in his class. He has needs like school fees arrears and a weak grandmother but always wears a smile on his face. To his grandmother: He is a complete joy for her and keeps saying what a blessing Alex has been since his rescue.

Cynthia “I had left home because of facing rejection from my step-father,”… TKW met her on the streets November 2017 when she resolved to go back home and quit street life. This had gone to the extent of being sent away from home after her step-siblings were born given that she wasn’t a blood child of this father. Her mother was unable to prevent this since her step husband was ruthless and the sole-bread winner. Cynthia ended up on the streets.

After her reintegration, Cynthia protection and acceptance was assured but the relationship with step father was never smooth. TKW team stepped in and facilitated their reconciliation, but Cynthia mother later felt the marriage was too painful for her daughter to settle in and hence had to give up and she separated with her husband. They had endured humiliation, conflicts and domestic violence. Through all this Cynthia remained optimistic and TKW supportive. Today she is progressing well in her education. She completed her primary education in 2018 and this year joined High school in Form one.

Naomi, the Doctor, an orphan, had taken the risk of traveling alone all the way from Mombasa (over 600 kilometers) to Nairobi to look for casual jobs. She had endured mistreatment on aunt’s hands after the mother’s burial; made to work and not going to school. Any effort to want to go to school was accompanied by yelling and this psychologically tortured her. She wanted to progress in her life, be in school like other children and live in peace but it almost felt like that peace went to the grave with her only parent.
Naomi ended up on the street and was later taken to a police children desk by a Good Samaritan where TKW team met with her in 2017. She could not talk calmly but every word was expressed in tears of pain she had gone through.
Another aunt- sister to the mother was traced and was overjoyed to receive her niece. Naomi got a new home, new family and life begun all over for her. In peace and love, Naomi is thriving. She was enrolled back to school in class three and after the first exam she got good marks that teachers promoted her to next class midyear!  Naomi is currently in class six and according to her teachers and guardian she is doing well. She is always the best in her class and aspires to be a doctor!!!

Mentor-ship Camp
Our environment shapes us in one way or another…the shaping could be permanent or ill-fitting that many times it is difficult to “break out” unless we get out and into an enabling environment to break free from the past.

As students- our teens often attend school year with the same peers, which can lead to labeling and being stuck into a particular perception. Some of them may become known as serious or quiet, when really, they can be lively in another setting. Going to this mentor-ship camp, our young people meet a whole other group of people in a different environment. Most of them have a traumatic past and this categorization is mostly broken when a camp is given the chance.

This Camp was planned to help our teens to break out. The mentors gear them towards fellowship, bonding and discussing issues affecting them. It also serves as time away to pray and draw closer to God outdoors. The teens engaged in a buzz of activities during their April school holiday Mentor-ship Camp. Teens take part in daily teaching sessions, where Biblical principles and stories are interlinked into the camp theme, and taught in a way that is fun and relevant. Mentors also lead daily devotion within small group setting, to reinforce the teaching session and to give teens the opportunities to ask questions in a one on one setting.

Why Mentor-ship Camp?

Mentor-ship camp is important because it offers a structured opportunity for young people to grow. These teens go from home to school to extra- curricular, with each environment contributing to their development. Mentor-ship camp, then, is another unique venue for growth, allowing them to become independent and self-confident, while socializing and making new friends, and even learning new skills. For our young people who are in high school, Mentor-ship camp helps them build a unique interest toward their future while still growing in faith. It offers them distraction-free option, allowing them time to kick the tires and learning from different environment.

As our young minds absorb the benefits of the School holiday Mentor-ship Camp experiences there are plenty of feedback to draw from and report on one mentor-ship Camp alone.

REMARKS

“This camp has changed my life. There are things I was struggling with, I couldn’t ask for counsel from my mother and these questions were answered here”. Thank you for giving me this opportunity…

 “My experience at the camp was the best…having mentors to talk to and listen to us. It was one that I shall forever remember.”

“This was a camp with a difference. I thank God I was part of it. I wish this could happen every school holiday!”

“If it was my wish, I would want to come every camp whenever we close school. Could I come to the next one? Please consider me.”

To You Our Partners

On behalf of our teenagers, Tumaini Kwa Watoto wishes to express heartfelt gratitude for your help in financing this Mentor-ship camp…. Special thank you to Alastair and Sandra– With your assistance, 15 young people were able to go to camp and learn. God bless you!

Great challenges Resolved- When we all work together

One of the biggest myths is that children in centers are there because they have no parents. This is not the case. Most are there because their parents simply can’t afford to feed, clothe and educate them. But, with the right kind of support, most families would be able to keep their children. And when it’s just not possible for a child to live with his or her parents, there are other family and community-based options where they can be cared for and protected.

In Tumaini Kwa Watoto, Child comes first even as we work collaboratively with local authorities and community members.

We believe that every child should grow up in a transformed environment and this can only happen where supportive structures are working. This means that a child should not be kept away from their families hence not in a children’s home/institution.

With experience of many years, Tumaini Kwa Watoto has realized that supporting families and communities so that they can look after their children themselves might seem more complicated in the short term but in the long term, it pays immensely.

Not only are children more likely to grow well and go on to be better parents, they are more likely to contribute to their communities and to their country’s development.

We at Tumaini Kwa Watoto have witnessed this through our work with governments and local community that are already putting it into practice.

FACTS

• More than 80% of children living in institutions have a living parent. We make every effort to reunite these children with their birth family, in all possibility.
• We actively collaborate with governments, other non-profits and local authorities to strengthen family- to transform systems and give children a voice.

Even the greatest challenges can be solved when well-meaning people work together.

BUT YOU DO NOT GIVE UP

Whenever we see a child or family on the streets, we can tell the pain and agony these precious people go through. We love them and remind them of God’s plan for their lives. Their rescue however, comes with tremendous challenges. We do not always share success stories because some children end up on the streets again or some die and others end up in Jail.

About four years ago (Sept 2016), Tumaini team met a boy on the streets who had a broken foot. We befriended the 13 years old Josee* and got him out of the streets back into his family.

At home, his foot was treated and discharged out of hospital. The family was stable to cater for Josee’s basic needs and his father was actually a pastor meaning that Josee’s spiritual growth was also taken care off.

First 2 years after his reintegration, he was in school but life on the streets and its enticement kept sidetracking him. Severally we would be called to go counsel him and after our last visit, we were assured of Josee’s great progress.

Little did we know that he was not intending to continue with education at some point and he even disappeared from home. He went back to the streets and his father rescued him again but Josee truancy continued. He was later arrested with stolen goods and was taken to jail where he is serving his two years term. From our recent follow up, his father insisted that his son should stay the whole jail term for not listening to his parents and community. Josee’s case highlights few of other case of children rescued but later chose their way and some are in approved school. Resistance is real. Redemption comes from God and If one of them is unwilling to shift, we don’t force them. We continue praying for them

But not always do children get side tracked…many of our reintegrated children are progressing well toward their restoration. Many are completing primary schools and desiring to join high [dropcaps] 1 [/dropcaps] . Others are completing secondary schools and looking forward to joining universities, colleges and vocational training… Every child on the streets deserves a second chance. Many have genuine cases why they were once on the streets. So where is the help?

In a case like Iren*, 15 years old girl, after struggling through primary school with a sickly mother, as a first born she learnt to support her father in taking care of their needy family. Many times she would miss classes but not one time did she drop out. Her father was also overwhelmed for most of their family resources ended up in her mother’s treatment. In all this, Iren managed to complete her final primary school exam last November and she did her best given the circumstances that had surrounded her. She got 237 marks which was a good score to secure her a place in a secondary school. With 4 siblings behind her, that was it for Iren.
It can be very difficult when a parent is unwell for a long time. Iren’s family was overwhelmed by the cost and hence had no hope of ever joining a secondary school.
As a first born, she found work at her tender age to work as a shop attendant away from home and earning 4000Kshs, the whole amount went into supporting her mother and other family needs. When the team met with her, she wanted to go back home and had no means since she had been dismissed from work unfairly. “But I have come to realize education is important if I wanted to succeed in my life. If I am able to get education I could do better things and become a better person and help my family better. I wanted to go to school but I just don’t have the chance. That why I request to help me to go back home to try my chance again….”
Iren desire and hope is to go to secondary school and supporting her with school fees, it is empowering her family.
She has an admission letter a Girls secondary school but the fee is what is hindering her from being in the school.

LIGHT AT LAST!
Caro worked hard in primary school and scored 325 Marks out of 500 in her final exam. This was a year ago. As a total orphan and an only child remaining after losing her two siblings while toddlers, Her parents also died and Caro had to move from her paternal home to maternal grandmother. The grandmother who was very poor could not help Caro join High school. She could not raise the school fees. The girl had no option other than working as a casual laborer in their village to help put food on the table.

In June 2018, Caro traveled to Nairobi to look for house girl’s work. Though she succeeded in finding work, life was not easy for her as the lady of the house mistreated her. Caro was later chased out of the house at night. She met with a woman who housed her for that night and the following day she was taken to a police station where TKW team met her.

TKW team reunited Caro with her aunt who was happy to host her and had a desire to see her niece rejoin school. Though she had no help at that moment Caro stayed at home as the family looked for ways to help her join high school in 2019. In January 3^rd 2019, Caro’s aunt informed the team that Caro had joined school through the help of their Church.

She is now in Form one at a girls’ boarding school.

LIVING HER DREAM...
Suzy’s aunt, took the responsibility of educating her. She enrolled her in a rural boarding primary school and through a sponsor paid for her school fees. When she completed class 8, she scored 295 Marks. The sponsor could not pay for her high school fees and the aunt who is unemployed could not do so either. In the plan to help herself, Suzy ended up on the streets in such of better life.

The team met her and during relating, a tracing of her home was done on phone. She wanted to go to her grandmother and thus was reintegrated. Suzy expressed her desires of becoming the best hair dresser but had no one to enroll her into the course and paying her school fees. the team encouraged the family to try their best to see Suzy in vocational training.
When  the team visited her in January 2019, they were happy to discover that she joined a hairdressing course at the local community Polytechnic.  Suzy is now pursuing her dream. she had braided peoples hair during the holiday and this enabled her to pay part of her fees securing an admission into the Polytechnic. What a zeal!

THROUGH THICK AND THIN

Linda* is the second born in a family of four children. Her mother, a single lady and does casual labor to sustain their family. They live with Linda’s grandmother.
Her grandmother is unmarried and living in her own home. However she gave birth to Linda’s mother and her siblings out of wedlock; Now, Linda’s mother also unmarried lives with her mother with her children in the same house.

Linda* was rescued by police from the streets from what was seen as a child who had been lost. They were on their way to school with the mother and as they were closing the busy roads in the city, Linda was left on one side by the mother who proceeded with their journey on the busy streets without knowing the child was not behind. We met Linda at a police children’s desk and accompanied her home.

Linda’s mother narrated to the team how she went back to look for her daughter in vain. She went back home a distraught mother; but rejoiced when TKW team brought the girl back.  Linda is at home but still struggling with school fees. This term alone (Term 1) she needs Kshs 20, 500. The mother is trying to raise it and she needs our support

Breaking OUT of the Shells- discarding the labels

After closing school, two of our boys (Humphrey and James) called to request if they could be included in the group that was going for the holiday camp. They had attended a last term camp and the thought of missing another was not something they anticipated… the impact was great and they pleaded to be included. However, there were new young people who needed such a life transforming introduction and the camp was organized.

To give our children a safe place to learn and grow, a camp does that. Camp allows children that were previously on the streets but settling in their families the opportunity to escape from labels that might have been created in their previous setting, such as life on the streets.

When it happened…

Tumaini Kwa Watoto considers it important the kind of experiences children reunited with families get especially during school holidays. This come with a faith based one week camp that at least 10-15 boys and girls attend.
The camp encourages spiritual growth through a bible-centered environment, allowing children to focus on their relationship with God. I At the camp, inclusion of counselors allows children to break out of their shells in a conducive environment while still providing a strong sense of mature supervision.

All this happened in an environment that was accessible and away from their home creating memories and life transforming experiences. This camp was held on 11^th – 17^th November and 14 young people in high school attended.

 Camp teaches them how to get along with other people both their peers and adults.

Petro – Lack of basic needs led him to the streets. He comes from a poor family which appears to be disadvantaged by forces beyond their control. With his father’s inheritance being taken by his elder brother, he was left in a state of helplessness and no place to build a home for his children.

Petro is one of four children, two boys and two girls.  His is a casual worker whose income hardly meets the family’s needs. They live in one rented room. He is raising his family from hand to mouth and at times well-wishers come to his rescue. He is willing but is not able to educate them at all.  He is unable to provide privacy for his teenage sons and they try to find alternative accommodation.

These boys are eager to pursue their education, but they can’t afford books and pens to do their homework and they often steal from others.  They go to school in tattered uniforms and shoes with gaping holes. Their self-esteem and performance has been affected. Are you willing to restore human dignity to these children and by strengthening his family?  This family needs a plot of land to build a home and regular provision for basic needs for at least six months.  A monthly gift of £50 will give them a fresh start.  There is hope for Petro and his family because good people continue to do good.

For Adrian, peer influence led him to the streets: This boy needs a hand up not a hand out.  He was reintegrated with his parents who are peasant farmers in 2017. He came with his friends to the streets of Nairobi to experience city life but alas life was harsh and unbearable.  He longed to return home to rural western Kenya where he belonged.

He’s continuing with his education. His parents and teachers are very supportive but recently the TKW team received a message that he needed school uniform and a pair of shoes. ‘I have talked to his parents, but they haven’t been able to buy these items because they have five other children in school.’ Said Adrian’s teacher.  The other children laugh at him because of his tattered clothes affecting his self-esteem and academic performance.  Austin is an example of many children reintegrated back home but lack of basic needs slows them down.  A gift of £50 will provide these basics and enable such a child to continue with their education and move on in life.

‘I need help’ – Christoph came to the streets to find someone to help him access education because his grandmother is not able to educate him.  He is an orphan who was left in the care of his uncle who later abused him and kept threatening to throw him out of his house.  This is one of the challenges often faced by orphaned children.  He came to the streets to escape from his uncle.

On 12^th June 2018, TKW team reunited him with his grandmother who says, ‘I love my grandson very much, but I don’t have resources to provide for his needs.’  Working in partnership with the school administration, Christoph is now back to school and catching up with his peers.  He needs regular education support and to meet his basic needs.  Will you give Christoph a lift to access education?