Esharelife Foundation visiting Simba Village Shelter Children Home in Kenya

Shelter Children’s Rehabilitation Centre (Simba Village) located in Kajiado County in the city of Kibiko is a charitable organisation registered in 1997 as a children’s rehabilitation centre. The centre was established by a group of women who started to take care of some orphans in their area. It has a vision of empowering children to fulfil their potential. The organisation’s objective is to provide shelter, food, clothing, education, recreational activities, counselling, and healthcare services for the children in the centre through educational programs, rehabilitation, psycho-social programs, and health care.

SMB organises various activities for their children, like farming, e.g. vegetables, maize, tomatoes, beans, onions, maize, cabbages, potatoes, and honey harvesting or they can take care of their cows. The home has also started a farming business to support other activities for the children. For purposes of planning for re-integration, they are working closely with the traced household members. Various market-oriented trainings are organised to equip parents/ caregivers/ relatives with skills that will help them start or improve their Income Generating Activities (IGAs); this is geared towards improving the families’ livelihood. They have some Village Saving & Loaning Associations (VSLAs) which provide access to capital to start or improve IGAs. Recently they were able to build a modern dormitory and a resource centre and start a solar project that has created jobs for the youths who are involved in assembling and marketing the solar lamps.

AVSI in Kenya started the collaboration with the Simba Village in 2005.

In addition, Simba Village also focuses on the cultural and artistic development of the children. The kids are engaged in various activities that showcase their cultural heritage, such as dancing Maasai dances and singing in Swahili. These activities help the children connect with their roots and preserve their cultural identity.

To gain further insights, interviews were conducted with Mary, a beneficiary of the SMB project, Julius, a former beneficiary of the SMB project, Director Mary Muiruri, and Educator Mary Sindani. Mary, who has benefited from the SMB project, shared her experience and how the project has positively impacted her life. Julius, a former beneficiary, also shared his success story and how the project has helped him in his journey. Director Mary Muiruri shed light on the vision and objectives of the organisation, while Educator Mary Sindani highlighted the various educational and psycho-social programs offered by Simba Village.

The collaboration between AVSI and Simba Village has been instrumental in providing support and opportunities for the children in need, empowering them to fulfil their potential and improve their livelihoods. With initiatives like farming, market-oriented training, and cultural development activities, Simba Village continues to make a positive impact on the lives of the children it serves.