More than 80 percent of children living in charitable and orphanage institutions are not destitute but have parents and guardians. — By Ramadhan Kambi.
That is according to government officials in Kilifi County.
Now, The Coast Interfaith Council of Clerics is spearheading a campaign aimed at re-integrating the children back with their families.
In Kilifi county, the program is being done in Malindi, Magarini and Ganze sub-counties and intends to make sure children are brought up in the community instead of the children’s homes.
So far, a sensitization program is going on at the location level where chiefs are trained on how to support the children during the integration process.
Already the CIC officials met all chiefs in Malindi two weeks ago and those from Magarini with a view to sensitize them in how they can help integrate the children back to the society.
The program seeks to ensure children can receive support from the charitable institutions but stay with their families so as to grow up with community values and customs.
Sebastian Muli Muteti Sub County children officer Magarini sub-county was categorical saying reintegration was not a one event show but a phased process whereby the child, institution, the receiving families and the community at large have to be prepared adequately to accept the children.
Speaking at Marafa in Magarini he said that’s why they are now sensitizing the chiefs who are very vocal and vital institution of administration as they are in charge of those communities.
“They have Nyumba 10 and village elders whereby the children are going back and if we don’t give enough information the children will return to the institutions that’s why it is a phased process whereby, we need to engage through CICC as our local implementing partner we have had a series of sensitization through the department is the interior department and the church leaders,” he said.
He said church leaders are crucial because they have a ready audience in the pulpit and once the policy is well articulated to them it will be easier to pass it over to the masses.
Muteti said through the chiefs it is the main gateway to the community who have village elders and Nyumba 10 so as to make sure other than taking back to the community there is gatekeeping mechanism to prevent the children to go back to the institutions.
The children officer said the program called ‘Changing the way we care’ will take time but expressed optimism as they will succeed because they were on the right track.
He said in Magarini there are only two children’s homes which include Asante Sana and Jombas .
“In Jombas we had 23 children and because of the reintegration process we had 22 going back to the community; that was during the order of the Covid-19 and then in Asante Sana we had 85 out of which 42 went back to the community,” he said.
Muteti said so far 63 children have been reintegrated to the community in Magarini but noted that the reintegration process needs a lot of things to be put in place to ensure the child is comfortable.
He said the big challenge forcing children to go to charitable institutions are poverty as people are not willing to do adoption.
Muteti said most institutions are run by foreigners where the children are assured of three meals a day which cannot be guaranteed in their families.
Hemed Abdulrahman Assistant County commissioner 1 Magarini said changing the way we care program is a global strategy to ensure that children are reintegrated back to the community.
He said in charitable institutions research has shown there are so many challenges which makes them hard for them to grow up with good tradition and culture.
“The plan is to ensure the children are brought up in the the community even if they are orphans there are guardians in place so that they can grow up with the values of the society,” he said.
