Anita's Home was established to provide hope to girls living in difficult circumstances, especially those living on the streets.
We believe in upholding girl-child rights and promoting their dignity through provision of protection, care, love, education and formation.
We are also committed to working closely with other agencies and the civil society in promoting the rehabilitation and reintegration of the girl-child. Anita's Home is a project that targets to rehabilitate female children from the streets. It started operations in 1999, and was named after an Italian lady who had worked tirelessly for the protection of the girl child.
Situated in Ngong Town, 20 Km south of Nairobi, the home exists primarily as a rehabilitation and care home for former street girls. The admitted children live with couples, who have their own biological children.
Life at the home is structured like a typical African extended family, where all members enjoy the warmth of family life.
Currently, there are three couples caring for a total of 34 girls, whose ages range between five and fourteen years. Most of the girls are orphans rescued from the streets of Nairobi, and some of them still have relatives living on the streets.
The aims and objectives of the Home are:
-To assist needy girls satisfy their basic human needs.
-To ensure security of education, food, shelter, and the protection of their basic human rights.
-To empower girls with knowledge and skills for self reliance.
-Formation and personal development through moral, spiritual and social support, as well as professional counselling.
-Reintegration into the family of origin where possible.
Activities
In order to achieve its main objectives, the project engages in the following activities:
School Placement: The girls are placed in local schools and follow up is made to ensure they gain settle into the school system and gain a meaningful education.
Guidance, Counselling and Spiritual Formation to help the girls grow into responsible members of the society with a sound capacity to socialize and build good interpersonal relationships.
Art and Crafts, which include tailoring, embroidery, and knitting. This program also benefits other girls from the neighbourhood, especially those from the poorer parts of the nearby Ngong town.
Computer Training.
Sports and Games including football, netball, aerobics, drama, poetry and dancing, which are used to teach the girls discipline, competitiveness and a sense of teamwork.
Home Visits for purposes of possible future reintegration into the family
An Outreach Programme, which helps the home identify the needs of the local area, as well as support local needy children in school while they live with their parents/relatives.
Networking with relevant organizations and the local district children's office to help eradicate problems that pose a danger to the proper growth of the girl child in Kenya, like Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and wife inheritance.