About the Project
The project consisted of several construction initiatives to complete facilities and improve services at the Children’s Centre of Aswani Kizito’s Project of Hope.
Location
Kawangware, Nairobi, Kenya
Quick Project Stats
| Funding Date | November 2023 – November 2024 |
| Luena Investment | $4,900 |
| CBO Partner | Aswani Kizito’s Project of Hope |
| Village | Kawangware |
| Country | Kenya |
| # of Children Impacted | 290 |
| Community Contribution | manual labor, local contribution of food donations, school scholarships, local foster parents/guardians |
Multiple Threats to Child Wellbeing and to Effective Support for Children
A large percentage of Kawangware residents live below the poverty line, earning only $1 or $2 a day and living hand to mouth to survive. This little money is used to try to pay rent and buy food, so there are many who cannot afford to pay school fees or even have adequate clothing. As many are unable to find employment, they turn to criminal activities such as prostitution, drugs and substance abuse, gang involvement, robberies, and illegal brewing of alcohol as means of survival. This has led to mass insecurity in Kawangware slums and resulted in many abandoned and neglected street children, an issue that is increasingly getting out of hand. The Aswani Kizito’s Project of Hope initiative has been operating in the Kawangware slum since 2010. In the past 14 years, they have educated over 330 children free of charge through primary school and enrolled countless into secondary schools and vocational schools.
The Aswani Project of Hope Orphanage struggled to provide daily meals for the children, leaving no funds available for necessary construction projects. The orphanage had only three overcrowded latrines for the 290 children, and city health officers demanded additional toilets due to health concerns, although the government does not provide support to resolve these problems. The Kenyan government issued an ultimatum: the center had 10 days to install more toilets or face closure.
Multiple Construction Projects and New Supplies Improve Care for Orphans
The donation from Luena Foundation was used to construct additional latrines in order to meet government requirements and to purchase iron sheeting to complete dormitory roofs. Additional funds were used to purchase elevated bed frames, as the existing mattresses were all on the floor, and to provide more mattresses to accommodate children. Finally, the donation supported the construction of desks for the classrooms and supplied cement to finish the walls of partially completed classrooms.
Meet our Partner Community-Based Organization
Aswani Kizito’s Project of Hope is a project to build a new home for orphaned children who are currently living in the slums of Kawangare and who so deserve the care and attention we have to offer them. We want to create a Children’s Centre, based in a new community development in Kitengela, that offers them the space in which to can grow and develop, receive an education, and eventually become productive members of society.
To learn more about our partner organization, click here.
