Opening the doors
Can you imagine the level of courage it takes to welcome 106 children into your home? How about getting those children into homes of their own?
Dream Children’s Home and its staff were stretched to their limits, struggling to provide the level of care their founder, Rachel Gichia, sought to achieve when she opened her doors to children in need. What made the difference between sacrificing their mission and saving the children they loved? Connecting to Child in Family Focus – Kenya (CFFK) and implementing the Thrive Program.
Recognizing the Need for Help
Dream Children’s Home was registered as an orphanage in Kenya in 2005. Rachel Gilchia, their founder, grew up in the slums, raised by a single parent. She saw children her age abandoned, destitute, and alone. Rachel shared, “…I vowed in my heart that if I get a job in the future and have my own house, I would not live to see a child suffer after losing parents but would accommodate and live with them” (Dream Children’s Home Website). And so she did. She and her husband decided to open their home and welcome children from their neighborhood and surrounding areas to live with them and their three biological children.
But, things aren’t easy when the number of children increases from three to 106. With so many children in the home, it was a blessing when Dream Children’s Home became part of CFFK’s network. As a new partner home, Dream Children’s Home underwent their first Thrive Assessment in September, identifying their most urgent needs: hiring a social worker, counselor, and additional caregivers.
Welcoming New Support
In October, thanks to support through Child Advancement Priorities, the home welcomed both a counselor and a social worker. They spent their first week at the home understanding the environment and building relationships with the children.
Florence Muteti, a leader from CFFK, shared, “Peninnah, the new counselor, started by conducting age-specific group sessions to introduce the children to counseling and its importance. After gaining the children’s buy-in, she reached 60 children in eight groups, six children in pairs, and held one-on-one therapy sessions with six children.”
Through the sessions she conducted, Penninah identified several key areas for growth in the children: increasing emotional openness, enhancing self-esteem, strengthening trust and attachment, improving social skills and participation, and encouraging positive behavior changes. But, she didn’t stop there. She also met with staff members and she is excited to help their personal development as well.
In regards to social work, Florence said, “Rose, the live-in social worker, worked closely with the caregivers and management. She provided guidance to the children in academics, behavior, time management, and responsibility. Rose also shadowed the existing social worker who was focused on family tracing efforts aimed at reuniting children with their families whenever possible, aligning the home with the government’s care reform initiatives.”
Working with CFFK has helped the home recognize the need to help children into stable, safe, and loving families. “The organization is committed to raising awareness about disadvantaged children in need of permanent, safe, and loving homes and eliminating the barriers that hinder them from realizing their basic need of a family” (CFFK Website). Children deserve to live with a family they can call their own, and Dream Children’s Home is part of the change to make that happen for the children in their care.
Working Together for Change
In the home, everyone is focused on the well-being of the children, both in the near and distant future. Peninnah, the counselor, shared the impact that she’s seen in the home:
“The counseling sessions conducted in the Dream Children’s Home have proven to be a vital component in supporting the emotional and psychological well-being of the residents. Throughout the sessions, children and workers displayed significant improvements in self-esteem, coping skills, and interpersonal relationships. The therapeutic environment fostered open communication, allowing the children to express their feelings and experiences in a safe space.”
The combination of regular counseling sessions and social work efforts has already helped the children immensely. The children are developing skills to address both immediate concerns and navigate long-term challenges, and involving their families is making a huge difference. “The collaborative approach involving counselors, staff, and the children’s families has further enhanced the effectiveness of the interventions,” Peninnah added.
Moving forward, the home is excited to continue providing counseling sessions and social work to provide the children with the best hope for the future. The courses the home will take will adapt to the changing needs of the children as they learn and grow. Child in Family Focus – Kenya and A Child’s Hope Foundation are honored to be a part of the change happening at Dream Children’s Home. The management at Dream Children’s Home is grateful for the much-needed support they have received through donors and are proud to be part of the Thrive Program.
How you can get involved
Homes like Dream Children’s Home need ongoing support to provide counseling and social work to help children prepare for and unite with long-term families. You can become a monthly donor to provide continuing aid, or make a one-time donation below.