Two of our young men have joined University this September! Bri is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in General Arts while Charlie is pursuing a degree in Information Technology.  We rejoice with these young people and their sponsors who have enabled them access education.
We celebrate 87 children who were removed from the streets and reintegrated with their families in September.

Many children not only those living in the streets, miss out on their right to education and are vulnerable. Because their situations can be difficult, solutions are needed to help them get into learning.

The right to a quality education is one of the highlights Tumaini Kwa Watoto follows through after a child is reunited with their families. It is also a most effective way to enable these children integrate into the society. We ensure that each child rescued has an equal opportunity for educational progress and this has allowed them to transverse their unique journeys and carve a place for themselves.

Highlights from follow up visits monitoring our children’s progress:

16-year-old Elena* came from a needy family and her life has been full of uncertainty because of her family’s situation. Tumaini Kwa Watoto team focused on making Elena* lead a normal life. She was enrolled back to school and over time she seems visibly happy and positive interacting with other children. Elena is still a shy and quiet girl, but she is more confident. She is in Form 3 in high school, has transformed herself into an ambitious young lady and is determined to achieve her aspirations.

14 years old Mumo, is young and fragile, he needed to be rescued from the streets into a family that cares. After a family assessment, we took Mumo back to school to ensure his well-being. Over time, he was able to grasp new skills in education and learn. He is in class 8 preparing to sit for his final primary examination in April 2022. Mumo would like to join secondary school at the end of his primary school, but his family is poor. His dream is to become a teacher. His family is optimistic that their son will have a successful future. Partnering us to enable Mumo access education will ensure his dream comes true

Sue 16-year-old left home after a neighbor promised to find her a job in the city. Her family was struggling to make ends meet. Excited by her opportunity Sue took the risk of coming to the city without her parents’ consent. But little did she know that the neighbor would leave her stranded. She was alone in a strange big city; Sue had no option but to look for a job as a domestic worker. She found a job where she toiled hard for long hours and begun to feel trapped in the situation with no way out.  However, day came when she planned to go back home but her employer refused to pay her. She ended up on the streets and that is where we found her. TKW team reunited Sue with her family, put back into school and she is now in Form 3 in a secondary school.

TKW team found 14 years old James, all alone by on the streets. He had a wound on one of his foot and was in pain. Some boys on the streets had wounded him when he refused to sniff glue. He could barely walk but we knew home would be the best place for him. When we took him home, his parents shared that they had searched for him without success. They were glad to welcome him back home. They were thankful for TKW team’s care and concern for their son.  His family later took him back to school, and he is progressing well.

“Education is a human right…Together,we are transforming the future generations and communities…”

Teamwork makes the dream work. We acknowledge our faithful supporters in UK, Kenya, Ghana, and other parts of the world. Our programs have been developed over the years in many ways making a long-term difference to the lives of children and their communities. Here are a few:
Education sponsorship for reintegrated children changes lives.  It empowers for face the future with confidence.  Without education sponsorship they would have faced a dark future with no opportunity to break free from this cycle on their own.

Diana is thankful for the opportunity she was given to come off the streets and back to school. She completed her high school education in April 2021 and now she is in college doing a catering course.

Meshack and his brother had no hope of ever joining High school. They had to leave home at an early age to find casual jobs. But meeting with TKW team through your support, they are now progressing well in their education.

In family empowerment Lucy’s case was exceptional amongst many. She was on the streets and not in school because her mother (Martha) had no work to support her children after their father abandoned them.
 
Martha needed help and the only skill she had was tailoring. With the help of your kind gifts, we bought a sewing machine for her. Today she has her own shop, her children are back to school and her family has stabilized.

Equipping the community through trainings and raising Community Volunteers has increased the No. of rescued children from streets and vulnerable situations into stable families. We have 7 consistent Community Volunteers in 6 Counties.  This is preventing more children from joining the streets.

Our commitment to see lives of many children transformed and fulfilling their dreams is bearing fruit. 
With your partnership, over 3,000 children have received support through school, family empowerment, Mentor-ship program and Community Trainings.

Thank you our friends and partners! You are our victors who make this dream work.

HOPE: IMPACTING THE FUTURE GENERATION THROUGH MENTOR-SHIP

Tumaini Kwa Watoto rescues children between the ages of 8 – 14 years from the streets which represents school going children. There are children in primary and secondary schools and over time we have realized that adolescent years can feel like a roller coaster ride. It is the period of transition between childhood and adulthood. It includes some big changes to the body and to the way a young person relates to the world.

These changes include physical, sexual, cognitive, social and emotional changes that happen during this time can bring anticipation and anxiety for both children and their parents. Understanding what to expect at different stages of life will promote healthy development throughout adolescence and into early adulthood. 

Tumaini Kwa Watoto incorporates mentor-ship visits to schools and this term it was a great opportunity to invest in the young generation at St. Paul Secondary School. The teachers and students welcomed us and the school principal introduced us.  The school has a capacity of 600 students. The Guidance and Counseling teacher brought together the students in one hall and invited TKW team to share with them.

It was two hours of an impacting session for the students who had many questions that demanded answers.

• Home and environment
• Education and Employment
• Sexuality
• Drugs

Collectively, we must work to change the story of these young people and ensure they are surrounded by caring adults who can help them navigate the ups and downs of adolescence.

‘It takes a community to raise a child‘

Every child on the street has a reason for being there; either as casualties of domestic violence, poverty, displacement, dysfunctional family or lured by their peers to the excitement of freedom. Tumaini Kwa Watoto works in reuniting these children from the streets with their families and finding strategies for the family. In June 50 were reunited with their families from the streets, making a difference to the lives of many children and families in their communities; the best solution and our first option. In TKW we know getting the children back to with their families is our first option is the best solution when possible. But few children return to the streets because their parents are not able to provide basic needs their due to lack of proper income generating activities. Strengthening the family structure: We use various strategies to improve a family’s livelihood and provide for their children, including starting or expanding their small businesses. This is a preventative measure that stops children from going back to the streets and settles them back home.  

Here are some highlights of families empowered with small businesses:

14 years old Mercy joined the streets because her life was in danger due to the business the mother was doing. She was a bar attender, and she would often bring different men in their house. Her daughter would be in danger of sexual abuse. Tumaini Kwa Watoto reunited Mercy with her mother and empowered her to start a new business as a food vendor which has provided economic stability to her family. “My life has since changed since I have a different way of making a living, my daughter is safe. I cook food from this place and supply it to the construction buildings around here. This is a better way of earning an income and I am happy my children are now settled.”

We rescued 9 year old Mua from the streets and took her home to her mother. Mua’s mother had a small baby and 2 other children. She was separated from Mua’s father, and she was doing all she could to put food on the table for her children. That’s how the young girl ended up on the streets due to inadequate food at home.

Wanza, Mua’s mother’s green-grocer kiosk was almost collapsing. Today, a partner with Tumaini Kwa Watoto is helping her to expand her business so that she can support her family. “I will work hard to grow my business to double up the income.  I know my business will do well as I have a variety of fruits and vegetables to sell. With adequate income, my children and I will have enough to buy food, pay rent and meet other family needs.”

Jose 12 years old was rescued from the streets and taking him home, the mother who is single was doing small scale farming. The mother has 3 children and she shared her main income was chicken rearing. Her farming was affected by the pandemic and that meant she could not provide adequately for her children leading Joseph to join the streets in search of food and menial jobs. “During good times, I used to sell several trays of eggs daily. Due to the pandemic, the farming business was affected and my business collapsed. Some chicks died and due to lack of food, there were no eggs to sell and no money to buy basic needs for my children. Tumaini Kwa Watoto has boosted my business and I am sure soon I will be able to supply eggs in my village and shops again. This will help stabilize my family. Thank you.’

Together Empowering Children, Families and transforming communities…

HOPE is Celebrating TRIPLE JOY

Empowering Children through Education

First, three young men rescued from the streets, reunited their families and back to school joined university this year.  This is a testimony that children on the streets are just that – children.  The future is looking bright for these three as they pursue their dreams.

Secondly, (70) young people sat for Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (K.C.S.E) -exams taken after four years of high school. 4 qualified to join public universities.  24 qualify to join colleges and 40 + for vocational training.We are celebrating our young people for their success!

Thirdly, we had over two hundred children sitting for Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (K.C.P.E); an exam that is taken after eight years of primary education.  Most of our children qualify to join secondary schools this July.  Their stories are beautiful.

Mitch: We rescued Mitch from the streets in 2019 and reunited him with his family. This year he completed his primary exam scoring 387 marks!!  This mark takes him to a national high school. He attributes his success to timely rescue, hard work and discipline as he wants to become a lawyer. He says, ’My grandmother was struggling to feed us that’s why I went to the streets to look for casual work. I would not have wished to be out of school.  I was taken back home and back to school. This was my opportunity to build my life and that of my family.  I feel more confident now as I look forward to joining high school.”  Will you support Mitch in paying his school fees for his dreams to come to pass?

Juma: One of the joys of a parent is to see their children excelling.  Juma’s father who is also a pastor was overjoyed when his son completed his secondary exam and got a grade C-.  He shared with our team that this was a first in their community. “My son has made me very proud. Since his rescue in 2016, his focus changed. He is the only educated child in my family. Wish I could support 5 more because this would transform my community!”

Brian: it has been a journey of 9 years since his rescue from the streets. He was in grade 5 then and after many long journeys and challenges, he completed his secondary school exams and got a C+. Brian will be joining University to pursue his career as a Clinical Medical officer.  We steadily watched his journey of restoration to a man with dreams.

If many of these young men and women had remained on the streets, their stories would be quite different.

Our children overcame many obstacles related to life on the streets for some time and we celebrate their resilience. Parents supported their children, the government reopened schools closed due covid-19 and you our partners supported us to empower these families. Together we did this.  We appreciate all our friends and partners.

The first thing TKW team does when a child is rescued from the streets, is taking them through counseling. Mostly this is done when the child is back home with his family or relatives.  Those who need to be treated for some addictions they got while on the streets, parents or guardians are advised accordingly. These reintegrated children are then enlisted for school to prepare them to be better persons in the society.

Brian was rescued last year after being on the streets for 7 months. He is an orphan but placed under the care of his grandmother. His desire was to go back to school and this came to pass. TKW supported the family and the boy with all his school need. Now, David is back to class.

TKW vision is to see every child restored into transformed families, impacting their communities, generations and beyond. We make sure for every child rescued, depending on the outcome of the family tracing, that environment could be with their immediate family,  extended family, or trusted and responsible community members. All children deserve protection and quality care in a family environment

Lewis was also removed from the streets in 2020 and is now in to school. He is in class 6, but of course has a long way to go. He likes English and says the subject comes naturally to him. He is excited on the opportunity given to him of being with his family and to go to school. He has a long term goal of getting a degree in community Development. His desire is to one day help other children off the streets; get them into school and be with their families, too.

David is in form 2. He was rescued, reunited with his family and put back into school. TKW helped clear his school fees but the young man was still struggling with indiscipline. The team visited him in school to offer counseling and also held a psychosocial support to other student in the school. David’s mother was happy to see her son back home and in school. She expressed, “Thank you Tumaini Kwa Watoto for reuniting my family and all your help to my son.’’ She now feels her son can grow to take on greater responsibilities and wish other children would get the help her family. The family is whole again. 

Most children on the streets have no hope for the future. Tumaini Kwa Watoto reaches out and helps them return to home and back to school; giving them their childhood and future back. It is always our joy to see a child who was once on the streets, now in school uniform.

We are committed to helping children and families

TKW continued with life changing work of rescuing children from the streets and restoring them back into their families despite many challenges that were there in 2020. Working with the County Community Volunteers meant that the No of those removed from the streets increased.

Our 2020 Highlights are:

We ended our year 2020 by visiting a shelter for children rescued from the streets waiting to be reunited with their families. We shared some Christmas gifts with them.

We thank God for you our partners, and wish you happy holidays and blessed New Year 2021…

“Life on the streets is hard…Sometimes there is no food, then rain comes and you do not have shoes, nor a sweater, you are all alone…We have to encourage ourselves, this my life…I can survive but then again the desire to be home in a warm place kills you inside.”

We all know our lives changed in one way or the other due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has even been tougher for the children who stopped going to school and families that were already needy. Even so, because of your generosity over the years and specifically in 2020, TKW team has been able to reconnect over three thousand children with their families away from the streets. Your gifts meant that we can reach more children and provide them.
In November, 101 children were removed from the streets and in Tumaini News on the month, we highlight our 3000 mark child whose life changed due to the pandemic but hope beckoned.

STANLEY:

Every day of the week apart from Sundays, 11-year-old Stanley would run to school with his siblings. Learn and enjoy every play with his school mates, then would go home in the evening.

Then life changed… Mid-March this year, schools closed abruptly due to COVID-19, Stanley’s life has never been the same. He missed school, life at home became hard and this became overwhelming for his mother as she was unable to provide enough food for the family. Each day his mother walked around the neighborhood looking for casual jobs. Unfortunately, on many days, she went home empty-handed. 

This pushed Stanley out of his family and into the streets. His desire was to look for casual jobs and supplement his mother’s provision for their household. But hope beckoned and TKW team met with him while on the streets. He was out working himself to try and help his Mother.  The team supported the family with basic needs. He is now looking forward to going back to school in January 2020 with hope.

Stanley is among the many children around the globe who were pushed to look for work amid the crisis. Many got into child labor or engage in unsafe work as the impact of the pandemic broadened.

NYERI COUNTY Our Meet, Greet and Pray happened in Nyeri County in end of November. Our wonderful Community Volunteers joined the prayers lead by TKW team. They have helped in rescue of more than 150 children from that County as guided by TKW. They have also worked hard to help in following up many families and children, seeing them join school, go back to church and supporting families during their challenges.