Kijiji Cha Upendo Children’s Project

The Kijiji Cha Upendo Children’s Project is a cooperative of guardians caring for orphaned and abandoned children. Kibera, Nairobi’s largest slum community, is home to more than 100,000 orphans. These children suffer extreme poverty and have almost no access to school or health care, let alone the love and care they need to thrive. Therefore there is a great need for families who can provide loving homes. They formed Kijiji Cha Upendo (Swahili for “Village of Love”) as a support group to increase their capacity as parents and as breadwinners. Apart from a place to call home, orphans also need an education, so Kijiji Cha Upendo also began to fundraise to provide an education for the children. Currently there are 30 families, caring for 140 children, orphaned and biological.

The CAP Network first engaged Kjiji Cha Upendo in 2011 as part of our overall efforts to invest in livelihoods and advance education. We are working with them to provide school fees for orphan children to pursue an education, and investing in caregivers, supporting their ability to provide the resources needed for the children in their care. This includes mentorship, counselling and parenting training as well as training and microloans for home-based enterprises.