When the International Childcare Trust first arrived in Western
Kenya in 1992, Kitale was swarming with hundreds of street
children aged from 4 upwards who survived by scavenging in
the rubbish dumps, working casually, begging, and stealing.
They simply slept in doorways and vacant lots. Being severely
malnourished, ill clad and without shelter, they suffered
from filth and hypothermia bringing serious and often fatal
diseases. None attended school because they had no support
and no daily food much less money for fees or uniforms.
Today, ICT runs Children's Centres that provide a well-balanced
approach to re-integrating children back into society. The
centres give the children the opportunity to:
- Eat balanced meals each day and overcome problems of malnutrition.
- Receive medical care and warm clothing. Use bathing, health
and sleeping facilities.
- Attend school or learn skills essential to their economic
survival.
- Wherever possible reunite with their parents or family.
- Their right to childhood: play, laughter, and enjoying
life.
ICT has been trying to build the capacity of ICT-Kenya, so
that like all of the other ICT supported projects, ICT-Kenya
does not need to maintain an ICT officer at the local level.
ICT's current strategy is for the Kenya-based ICT officer
to build the capacity of the local staff, so that he may withdraw
within a year or two. ICT was able to obtain a grant from
the EC in 1999, which would further develop ICT-Kenya's work.
The EC grant has covered the development of ICT-Kenya's work
at both centres
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