Help 60 Vulnerable Children Stay in Their Families

The process of reuniting children living in institutional care with their families is progressing well and St. Andrews Baby Unit is not isolated from this process as it has been a home to approximately 20 vulnerable children who were brought in due to difficult circumstances. I would like to sincerely thank you for your generous giving towards the baby unit since every donation that comes in helps to ensure that all the children are well cared for in a safe and friendly environment. Their health, growth and development is our number one priority as we progress towards integration of children whose parents or relatives have been traced but most importantly finding alternative care for the orphaned and abandoned children like Baraka, John and Lewis. The house matron at the baby unit ensures that these children are loved, cared and protected to enable them growth healthy, strong and responsible.

Lewis was the youngest of the four siblings brought at Kandara Children’s Home. He and her sister Fide as the children nicknamed her were placed at St. Andrews baby unit as they were 2 and 3 years respectively. The report from the children’s office indicated that the children were abandoned by their mother and were left by their father who was a drunkard. It is reported that due to his drinking habit, he not only neglected the children, he physically abused the children and went further sexually abuse the older girl who informed the neighbours. This prompted the neighbours to report their father to the police but he ran away before being apprehended. The police and the children’s office brought the children to Kandara Children’s Home as they searched for both parents.  The mother was later apprehended and jailed for abandoning and endangering the lives of her children while the father was given life imprisonment for child defilement. Although the mother was released one year later, she only visited the children once while on probation.  She had promised to come back for them once she settles down and rebuild her life but ran away and never to be heard. Effort to trace her was unsuccessful but the report that came to us recently is that she is in police custody as she was imprisoned again for theft. Lewis and his siblings have no home to go to or parents to love and care for them and it is our duty to provide and protect these children so that they can thrive and succeed in future. We hope that we will be able to find an alternative care for all the four children so that they don’t get separated as they grow up!

Other news is that all the children at St. Andrews baby unit are in good health. The four children who are in pre-primary school are progressing well in their classes and teacher Ann who is in charge was pleased to report that the children are performing well  though there were challenges when they joined school,  they have shown their  potential to succeed academically for a brighter future. Our vulnerable child support office is still working with the children’s office to trace the parents and relatives of the remaining children at the baby unit for the reintegration process. Fidelis was recently taken by her mother so that she can spend the holiday bonding with the family before she is integrated back home in December while Baraka has now been cleared for adoption. We pray that he will soon be taken by a loving family who will give him a place to call home where he will thrive and become successful in future

Thank you for making St Andrews Baby Unit a safe place for our children. We believe that all the children should have equal rights and opportunity to be raised within a family unit, in safe environment and are protected against all forms of exploitation that hinders their normal growth and development. We will continue support the baby unit to ensure that the children’s needs are well catered for as they can grow up to become industrious and responsible citizens of this world. I would like you to find this partnership worthwhile as we work towards finding alternative care and loving homes for the eight children where their future will be secured.