OAC KENYA VISITS TAMANI CHILDREN’S HOME IN KWA NJENGA SLUMS

ABOUT TAMANI CHILDREN’S HOME

Tamani Kenya is a Community Based Organization that was established in response to observing the great needs of many abandoned and abused children, those who needed the safety of a home and the support of a family. From a small beginning, this shelter for orphaned children has grown to include more than 50 children ranging in age from infancy to college.  Its leaders are James and Truphena Wanjala who have dedicated themselves to fulfilling the physical, emotional, educational and spiritual needs of each of these children.  The orphanage has close ties with New Hope Church, which serves the community, and helps foster the faith of the leaders, caregivers and the children.

The home entirely depends on support from the Church and well-wishers.  As such, the home has various needs ranging from food, clothes, proper shelter to sufficiently accommodate the children, tuition fees, sanitary towels for the girls amongst other needs.

OUR PROJECT

The main objective of the project was to train the children and the caregivers on Education for Sustainable Development, specifically with a focus on Self-awareness, geared towards promoting responsible citizenship. The project adapted a participatory teaching and learning approach to motivate and empower learners to change their behavior and take action for sustainable development.

OBJECTIVES OF THE TRAINING

• To promote responsible citizenship amongst participants.
• To equip participants with knowledge and life skills necessary to aid personal growth and community development.
• To prompt participants to be critical thinkers to articulate and address issues within their environment.
• To equip the educators and caregivers with skills on Education for Sustainable Development to sustain the project.
• To give back to the society through sharing love with needy persons.

TARGET GROUP

The project targeted 33 children from the home, whose ages ranged from 2 to 21. It also targeted 4 caregivers from the home.

TRAINING PROCESS

For purposes of making the training process effective and relevant, the children were divided into two groups according to their ages. The first group consisted of children from age 2 to 11 years, while the second group comprised of teenagers, from age 12 to 21 years. The training adapted an informal mode of teaching, where the facilitators had an interactive session with the children. To encourage active participation, the facilitators engaged the children in several activities such as group exercises and team building activities. Part of the training also entailed serving and sharing a meal with the children as the facilitators had a one-on-one interaction with each child.

CONCLUSION

The project was a great success and it achieved its purpose, owing to the massive support and contribution made by all members. It not only impacted on the children’s life but also the volunteers’, as they got exposed and appreciated the challenges that such disadvantaged groups face, thus prompting them to participate more in addressing societal needs. The children and the caregivers were excited to host us, and expressed their wish to have the team visit once again. The team affirms its commitment towards fulfilling the One African Child’s Vision: To create a society that fosters creativity, education, and innovation among young Africans.