Understanding the in’s + out’s of Child Reform Care in Kenya.
At Baba Nyumabani, we not only understand the transformative shift the Kenyan Child Care Reform is taking but have updated and adjusted our program of over 20 years to support this countrywide transition.
Short-Term, Goal-Oriented Care: Children and youth in temporary care are envisioned to return home multiple times during their placement (up to 3 years), fostering stronger family bonds and increasing the likelihood of successful reunification.
Individualized Plans: Each child's unique needs and circumstances are carefully assessed, leading to the development of a personalized care plan. This ensures that support is tailored to the specific challenges and opportunities for each child.
The Kenyan Child Care Reform prioritizes temporary, family-focused care for children and youth. Shifting away from long-term institutionalization, the reform emphasizes protection, welfare, and family reunification. Children in temporary care will experience regular, planned returns to their families to foster stronger bonds. Individualized plans, developed within a maximum three-year timeframe, guide each child's journey. This approach recognizes that some placements may be brief (a few months), necessitating a resource-focused model that supports reunification with biological families rather than solely emphasizing self-sufficiency.
Resource Conduit: Our program's focus has shifted from self-sustainability of child to young adult to acting as a central hub, connecting families and children with the resources necessary to achieve reunification. This might include counselling, financial/social support, or other vital support services.
Emphasis on Family Strengthening: Our aim is to bolster families' capacity to care for their children, ultimately leading to a more sustainable and nurturing environment for each child. This approach recognizes the crucial role of family in a child's development and well-being which means the biological family is involved from day one of intake to the last day of reunification, providing opportunities for them to step into their own agency and ultimately support themselves.
OUR UNIQUE FOCUS
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We envision a world where every vulnerable child and youth thrives in the family.
Our model opens its doors to children and youth who require temporary separation from their biological family.
The child/youth is welcomed into Baba Nyumabani’s family environment, along with other children/youth like themselves, where they are given the resources and support to heal and restore until it is safe and appropriate for them to be reunified with their family.
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The heart of this education is based on providing children and youth, while in our care, the skills they need to not only bounce back from the adversities they face in their biological environments, but also skills that inspire them with the opportunity to bring livelihood into their family.
We do this through our Family Project Program. Children and youth are woven together within a family setting, and the family is given a portion of land within our micro-community to farm and raise animals for dairy, eggs, market and consumption.
The children and youth learn seed cycling, sowing, germination and irrigation techniques, harvesting and production; from farm to table. The families decide which animals they want to care for and work with in supplying additional nutritional value through dairy and eggs, as well as bringing to market, selling and returning with income.
These are valuable skills for children and youth growing up in Kenyan villages.
FAQs
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Our Temporary Residence Care takes place in a Micro-Community (like a mini community within the greater community). This residence and the care it provides is grouped together by service domains that are required for the entire program to operate.
The children and youth are welcomed into the Micro-Community, using it as a “home-base” with all the services, resources and people they need until it is safe for them to be reunified with their biological families.
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At Baba Nyumbani, we ensure there is access to quality education while children and youth are in our care. We believe that education is one of the most critical aspects required for children and youth to not only thrive but it strengthens families for generations. Education provides children and youth with the tools and knowledge they need to break away from cycles of poverty they find themselves in.
In our opinion, one of the most effective ways to assist vulnerable children and youth, who have been placed in temporary care, is to encompass them within the local school and community; a setting similar to one they would find when they return to their biological home.
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Nutrition and Health are crucial components for restorative care when children and youth arrive. Our Nutrition is curated to reflect the foods and patterns of the local community. Children and youth are provided with three balanced and healthy-sized meals per day, two in our Micro Community and one at school during school months, unless otherwise circumstances require more.
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Baba Nyumbani provides safe facilities, where children and youth can live and thrive while in our care. Our Micro-community is composed of 8 acres in rural Kitale, Kenya with a Manager’s house, family residences, a main hall with full kitchen, offices, security gates and office and recreation fields.
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We believe the right people in the right seats are critical to successfully supporting our programs as well as ensuring that we, as an organization, empower our staff towards living their lives fully with dignity and respect.
While we can’t strengthen every family across our path, we can intentionally create a work environment that empowers those who work for us and the livelihood they provide for their families. We believe that to really make an impact in the lives of the orphaned and vulnerable, true heroes are needed, and those heroes have families of their own. Empowering our staff means empowering their families too.