Orphans and Vulnerable Children
In Kenya, the situation of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) is an issue of National concern. Currently it is estimated that there are over 2.4 million Orphans in the country, 47 percent are orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS, and many more remain vulnerable due to several other factors.
Children affected by HIV/AIDS are vulnerable long before their parents die. Girls, in particular, assume caring responsibilities for their ailing parents besides parenting for their siblings. With the weakening extended family systems in our society most children find themselves without proper social support with the incapacitation and death of their parents. This denies the OVC a chance to access their basic needs such as proper health care, education, shelter, and nutrition. Orphans suffer stigma, stress, and trauma in addition to the loss of parental love, care, and protection and more often they are disinherited.
HIV/Aids scourge compounded with high poverty levels and the 2007/2008 post-election violence have aggravated the situation of OVC in Kenya. The above situation exposes the orphans and vulnerable children to different forms of abuse and exploitation; physical abuse, defilement, sexual exploitation, child labour, child trafficking, and early marriages while more flock to streets to feed themselves. This situation diminishes their capacity to participate in matters affecting their life. Indeed cases of child abuse have become a common feature in our society with only a few of these, being reported to the relevant authorities.
With increased numbers of children in need, people of good will have come up in support of such children thus the rise of charitable children institutions (CCI). A Charitable Children Institution means a home or institution which has been established by a person, corporate or unincorporated, a religious organization or a non-governmental organization and has been granted approval by the National Council for Children Services (NCCS) to manage a programme for the care, protection, rehabilitation, or control of children.
Children found to be in difficult circumstances are often rescued and put in these institutions of safety for care and protection over a period of time. Services offered to children in CCI’S are tailored to meet the needs of the particular category of children admitted there in and include provision of basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing, education, medical care, guidance and spiritual well.
Categories of children placed in CCI’s vary from one CCI to another & ranges from abandoned, neglected, sexually, physically, emotionally, and psychologically abused. Orphaned, Street children; and Children with disabilities.
With increased numbers of children in need, people of good will have come up in support of such children thus the rise of charitable children institutions (CCI). A Charitable Children Institution means a home or institution which has been established by a person, corporate or unincorporated, a religious organization or a non-governmental organization and has been granted approval by the National Council for Children Services (NCCS) to manage a programme for the care, protection, rehabilitation, or control of children. Children found to be in difficult circumstances are often rescued and put in these institutions of safety for care and protection over a period of time. Services offered to children in CCI’S are tailored to meet the needs of the particular category of children admitted there in and include provision of basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing, education, medical care, guidance and spiritual well.
Categories of children placed in CCI’s vary from one CCI to another & ranges from abandoned, neglected, sexually, physically, emotionally, and psychologically abused. Orphaned, Street children; and Children with disabilities
Our areas of support to Charitable Children’s Institutions
VICDA has been able to purchase three pieces of land where two are in Ngong in Ngong District and one in Waithaka Location in Nairobi District on which two children institutions have been built benefiting 350 orphaned children previously living in Kibera slums. The new setup was equipped with beds and beddings, furniture, water and electricity. Children are currently enjoying their new facility and are raising local chicken for eggs and meat, daily farming and green houses. Children living here have enough space for their physical exercises, spacious rooms for their accommodation and a humble place to live in. They also have a chance to mingle with other children in the Kenya society. This program has tremendously improved the wellbeing of children.
Sustainable Income Generating Projects
Sustainable income generating projects are aimed breaking the cycle of dependency on outside donors. VICDA is aimed at helping partner institutions being in capacity to raise income in form of food (vegetables, cereals, milk, eggs, meat) on long term basis and if there is any excess to be sold to meet other cash needs for the home. VICDA has partnered with a number of schools, women groups and children institutions.
Feeding & Nutrition Program
Due to large numbers and increasing needs of children as they grow, some CCI without much fund find it hard to provide a balanced diet to children in their care. It is for this reason that VICDA comes in to supplement food ratios in our partner institutions. Some of the food items we supply include Rice, Beans, Lentils, Cooking fat, Sugar, porridge flour, Maize, and even toiletries. In 2013, VICDA came up
Support with Non Food Items
VICDA also supports CCIS with other items like Beds, mattresses, Mosquito nets, boxes, clothes and basin/buckets and any other item in need to be used for the comfort of the children.