The Solidarity Children's Home

A Rescue Centre Giving Hope and a Home!

Currently, Kenya has an average of 250,000 to 300,000 children living on the streets within big towns and cities.

Meru has over 1500 street children in total (UoN, 2015). A majority of these street children were born and raised by their parents living in informal settlements within Meru,.

About 34.4% of the street children support themselves by begging alongside gambling, hawking and serving as parking boys.

Collecting and selling scrap metals and plastics is also a common economic activity among the street children in Meru with about 22.3% indicating this as their occupation.

Sexual exploitation is also one of the risks of street children. It has been revealed that 36.3% of street children have had sexual relations while 63.7% have had no sexual involvement.

On harassment by the police, County Government officials and other adults, about 76.5% of the street children confirmed having been harassed while 23.5% said they had no experience of harassment.

Regarding health, only 36.0% of street children have enjoyed good general health in the last five years with 31.8% suffering from various diseases. 29.5% are said to have had weak health at least for five years, while only 2.8% have reported excellent health in the last five years.

Solidarity Children’s Home is a charity founded by the people of Meru in 2014 to address the needs of orphans and individuals displaced in society. It is a Not-For-Profit organization with an initial base of operation in Meru, Kenya, under the umbrella and support of Solidarity International Trust (SIT).

The aims and goals of the home include:

(i) providing a safe haven for orphans and misplaced individuals with nowhere to go – i.e. providing them with food, shelter, clothing and engendering a sense of belonging and self-worth;

(ii) equipping them with life skills through education and vocational training to ensure they have a bright future and are equipped to achieve a decent standard of living once they move on from the home;

(iii) provision of spiritual guidance in accordance with Christian principles as espoused by the founding principles of SIT, the parent organization;

(iv) building positive links with the local community and offering a platform through which the next generation can contribute positively to the progress and development of the communities in which SIT is situated. The home sits on a 2-acre land provided by the local community in Meru County.