CHILDREN AND YOUTH HOMES
Resource center Mashuuru and Emotomu
Mariahemmet is located 130 km southeast of Nairobi and New Life Mission’s main station. Mariahemmet was built in 1993 because there was a need to offer boys a different form of housing in a rural environment. Here the children can develop their leisure activities in horticulture, beekeeping, carpentry and baking.
The goal is to give children a safe upbringing where play and education go hand in hand. The boys aim to complete their primary and secondary educations.
The Covid -19 pandemic has caused changes in the work at Mariahemmet.
On the one hand, the government in Kenya has become more restrictive about children being placed in institutions. New Life Mission has a long experience of making decisions based on the best interests of the child. Therefore, the activities at the home have been adapted due to the pandemic. Mariahemmet is today more focused on being a resource home for vulnerable children and their families. The home receives emergency placements but works more purposefully to find solutions within the child’s family.
This is done through close cooperation with the authorities through regular home visits. Responsible staff work with detailed evaluations and assess what efforts are required for the family to be able to make it possible for the children to live at home. The team has regular food deliveries, follow-up of the child at school, conversations and enlightenment about negative cultural customs.
Thank you for your gift, it helps the boys to achieve their dreams of a better future.
Samaritan
Samaritan – a home for younger children on the outskirts of Nairobi
Since its inception in 1985, the home has been a safe institution for many vulnerable children. In 2018, a major reorganization and remodeling of the orphanage began. The home has four out of a total of five family units, with eight children and a responsible “mother” who can meet the different needs of the children.
The children live in the home for shorter or longer periods depending on each child’s individual situation.
The goal is to let every child have the opportunity for a safe childhood where play and learning go hand in hand.
The best interests of the child shall be taken into account in all decisions concerning children.
The Samaritan home first and foremost accepts children who have a parent in prison. According to Kenyan authorities’ guidelines, it is first and foremost orphans who should live in our home, but also children who come from difficult conditions are received. Samaritan also accepts children whose parents are dead or sick with AIDS.
All school-age children attend the mission’s own preschool or a nearby elementary school. When the child moves back home, the child continues education in his home environment.
Many thanks for your gift! Your support means a lot to the children at Samaritan.