Hand in Hand (charity no. 1069976)

The Daylove Children's Centre currently supports over 250 children between the ages of 4 and 18 who live in and around in the Dagoretti slum area in the western suburbs of Nairobi, Kenya. The Centre provides food, education and vocational training for each child and runs a night shelter for the most vulnerable.

Hand in Hand has worked closely with the Daylove Managing Committee since 2000 and helped them purchase a new site for the centre, raising £80,000, in 2003.  This enabled Daylove to expand its programme of support from a few tin sheds into more permanent buildings which are used mainly for classrooms. Around 350 children are now supported.

Since then Hand in Hand has funded the construction of a night shelter with a capacity for over 50 of their most vulnerable children.

Daylove employs teachers, cooks house mothers and a social worker to cater for the needs of the children.

Pre-primary and some primary education is offered to children on site but the majority of children attend several primary schools in the area. When most of the children reach secondary school level they attend local schools but Daylove now offers secondary school places on site for some of the children. The secondary school is a fee-paying school which enables it to be self sufficient in it's running costs.

Vocational training in carpentry, dressmaking/tailoring and computer skills is offered on site for those who are nearing the end of their education. Some children attend other specialised vocational training centres to develop the skills and talents that they have such as Drama and Art.

Hand in Hand has recently assisted Daylove in purchasing additional land for the intention of income generation in the future. Although Daylove has received support from other NGO's over the years, one of their main funders has recently withdrawn from the programme as Daylove no longer fit their criteria for funding due to a change in their policies. This has given Daylove a massive challenge and we are working with them to try to achieve the best for the Daylove Community.