A group of OSIEPE Yes! members, on behalf of OSIEPE Practical Action visited Achego Chilren’s Home in Muhoroni sub-County on 29th January 2017. Achego child care began in 1979 as an orphanage. The group was led by OSIEPE Yes! convener, Jenice Omolo. Approximately 600 children have passed through the centre and are well placed today. It provides shelter, food, educational support, clothing ,psychological support (from nursery school to college\university).Unfortunately, most of the donors withdrew in 2013.The Child Care Centre is sponsored by AIC and managed by ICAD with head office in Nairobi. It used to have 23 homes but currently there are only 6 homes due to declining funding streams: Litein,Tumaini,Makueni,Narok,Mufu and Achego. These remaining homes are also at risk of closing down. Currently, the cengtre at Achego has down-scaled to a rescue centre that hosts only a few vulnerable children who are either at risk staying with their parents/guardians due to defilement or neglect. Today there are 29 children between 6-18 years old. They are all in primary school. Unfortunately they cannot be cared for beyond the primary school level.
OSIEPE-Yes partnered with KEDHAP foundation under Menonite Church (Songhor) to make the visit. On top of spending time with the children, the team gave motivational talk on the following areas:
The team also made donations of the following items:
OSIEPE-Yes partnered with KEDHAP foundation under Menonite Church (Songhor) to make the visit. On top of spending time with the children, the team gave motivational talk on the following areas:
- Life skills
- Attitude
- sexuality
- poor performance
- Peer pressure
- Steps to self-care
The team also made donations of the following items:
- 1 bag of sorghum
- 5 tins of rice
- 10 litres of cooking oil
- Sanitary towels
- Panties and boxers
- Sandals and 6pairs of shoes
- Few bars of soap
- Body oil for each
- Refreshments
- 5 kg of sugar
- 10 blankets
- Inadequate basic need (water & food)
- Inadequate staff(only 5)
- Cannot provide education beyond primary school(inadequate donor funding)
- Children have different problems as some are brought in by the police, court, children officers hence handling them becomes very challenging
- Unfriendly infrastructures especially for girls and physically challenged children