There is a child welfare issue in Kisumu. Many children are discarded, unwanted and neglected as a result of HIV/AIDS,
poverty and rape. Tragically, more than 28,000 babies are born to 10 to 15-year-old mothers each year in Kenya.
Many are simply abandoned and the few government welfare agencies are full. But these children have not been forgotten.
An hour’s drive west of Kisumu, on the shores of the beautiful Lake Victoria is where you’ll find the Milele Centre. This friendly campus of care includes a community farm and a newly-opened home for abandoned babies and young mothers. The vulnerable people of Kisumu can also attend educational classes and learn how to start micro enterprises.
Frank and Lindah have a heart for those who can’t help themselves. When we first met them in 2006, they were serving people in the Kibira slums of Nairobi, Kenya. Their work was not glamorous but it was fruitful. In 2009, they moved to Kisumu where The Milele Centre has become their dream. Here, they hope for children to be raised by the same ‘mamma’ so they can experience what it means to have a family.
The Early Childhood Development Centre is a place of prevention, encouraging young mothers to keep their children. Trained house ‘mothers’ and nurses care for twenty-one babies and provide a loving environment. It’s a place where mothers can receive counselling and support throughout their pregnancy. There’s also a day care program, allowing the young mothers to go back to school to continue their education.
More than two hundred children and teens have enrolled in education programs hosted by The Milele Centre. This holistic and preventative approach helps the team tackle key issues. For instance, family members often father babies and parents are indifferent. These programs educate the whole community including parents, men and boys.
A simple financial model allows members of a group to contribute a small savings within a structure that helps convert small sums of money into larger, more useful lump sums. With coaching and support, community members are able to establish small businesses such as motorbike taxi services.
Communities around Milele are struggling to maintain gardens and grow productive crops to support families with nutritious food. The Milele property includes a community garden, which models and teaches sustainable practices including crop selection, mulching, erosion prevention and irrigation. The farm also supports the Early Childhood Development Centre.
to support The Milele Centre and give children the care they need.
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