Street Children Ministry

Anyone that has ever visited one of Kenya’s larger cities has surely seen the heartbreaking site of street kids in torn clothes sniffing shoe glue from plastic bottles, starting at an age as young as seven years old. Roaming around without any hope for a future, most of them say the glue helps them forget their misery, and also suppresses their hunger.

Nairobi and Kisumu are two of the largest cities in Kenya, lending their streets to thousands of abandoned street boys and street girls. Many of them are AIDS orphans or victims of abusive parents. Growing up on the streets, the majority of boys get themselves into serious trouble, some getting seriously injured during fights, others getting arrested, and still others getting beat up or raped by older boys. As for the girls, many of them are forced into prostitution and drugs.
Before speaking about our street children ministry, it is necessary to tell the story of how it all began - how the Lord inspired us to serve the street children. (Click to read more)

Street Children Ministry in Kisumu

Early 2005, a group of youth serving in Maseno began going to Kisumu once per week to preach the name of Jesus on the streets and to hand out leaflets. By God’s grace, the service was very blessed, and the same group of listeners kept coming back weekly at the same time and place. But along with this group was also another group that came regularly: the street kids. So, while some of the youth were preaching, the others would play with the kids, and make them jam sandwiches on the spot.

After some time, the group of Coptic servants gained the trust of the street boys, which began to tell their sad stories of how they ended up on the streets. Thus, friendship was developing with some of the boys. Each week, the servants would drive around town, and rally the boys to the football field to play and have lunch.

Unfortunately, other than love and friendship, it seemed like there was nothing practical that could be done to help these kids off the streets. Even an attempt to stop them from sniffing glue was to no avail, because they were not given an alternative. At this point, the group of servants could only pray and hope that the good Lord would reveal the next step.

One year and a half later, in August 2006, a group of Coptic servants were playing football with the street boys when they came across another group that seemed to also be working with street boys. Upon introducing themselves, it turns out that they work for a newly established daytime shelter for street kids, named HOVIC (HOpe for VICtoria Children). It is a Christian non-denominational center, which takes in street children during the day, and provides them with showers, meals, education (religious and secular), medical care, etc. Although the center has limited resources, they are doing a wonderful job at caring for the children and sowing hope in their hearts again. They have succeeded in sending some of the children to boarding schools and thus getting them off the streets.

But it is still heartbreaking that most of the children have to spend their evenings exists. That is why we must all continue praying to know if the Lord wants us to venture into this area or not.

In the meantime, HOVIC is the perfect place for us to meet the street children. Firstly, the center has rules that the kids must follow to be allowed to stay: No fighting, no glue bottles, no coming and leaving, good behavior in class, etc. This gives us a chance to talk and mingle with them in a safe environment. Secondly and more importantly, it ultimately filters the kids/youth that are serious about changing, working hard, getting off the streets, and overcoming the addiction to glue.

Right now, by God’s grace, we are contributing to HOVIC in two ways:
The first is education. They have requested of us to come once per week and teach the youth something from the bible, followed by a bible craft or game. This has been going on quite well.
The second is medical care. On weekly basis also, one of the doctors from our Maseno Clinic goes to treat the children freely, including medication.

Let us always pray for these street children, that their loving Father in heaven may guard them and provide for them, and move all our hearts with compassion and a love that must take action.

Luanda Street Children Ministry

Luanda is a small town about 2 km away from the St-Mina Monastery in Maseno. We’ve been told that Luanda’s marketplace is the home of approximately 200 street children. There’s a Catholic Mission in Luanda known as Mill Hill Catholic Mission that has established a daytime shelter for these children, and are also doing an excellent job at planting hope in the lives of the children they work with. Their work is similar to that of HOVIC in Kisumu. We visited the Mill Hill Center and have agreed to go once per weekend to provide educational and sports ministry for the kids. We are also welcoming them to receive medical care at our Coptic Nursing Home.

Nairobi Street Boys

The Coptic Mission works with the Street Boys in Nairobi to impart God’s great love for them. By God’s grace, a support group for boys/young men has been started in the church. Once a week, the boys get together, talk frankly together about their addictions and problems on the streets, they pray together, watch films together; in a word, it’s simply a time for guys to hang out together and draw strength from the Lord and each other. By the grace of God, the boys have been highly receptive; a number of them have even been sent to academic institutions in various parts of the country under the sponsorship of the mission, while the others are committed to attending these weekly meetings, bible studies and events organized by the priest and deacons of the Coptic Church in Nairobi.

We are looking to start a work project that will keep the boys busy as well as make them feel like they are truly needed and not in the street begging. Through the project, besides giving these boys some training, we will also be identifying those who are committed and will enroll them in suitable educational and vocational training programs.

We hope to start a computer class that would be fully equipped with 25-30 computers and will aim to teach the boys skills that will empower them in their future and enable them to pursue an education or career more easily. This computer class would first be run by a professional in computers but eventually, the class can be taught by some of boys themselves that have been identified as leaders. Again this is another way to empower these boys and give them a sense of purpose in life.

One of our long term goals is the opening of a recreation center that will provide the boys with a place to stay during the day where they can learn and also keep themselves busy in a positive and healthy environment. In addition to computer courses, the center will offer literacy training such as basic reading and writing skills that will raise their competence level, providing opportunities these boys could have never afforded on their own. In addition, the center would make an effort to meet their social needs by giving the boys time for sports and games. Different vocational training skills will be taught by professionals throughout the year, offering courses in carpentry, mechanics, electricity, plumbing, etc. Eventually we can seek internship opportunities and work placements for the boys.

Ultimately, the purpose of this project is to help these boys, who are often stuck in a cycle of poverty, trouble and hopelessness to become productive members of society with a healthy self-esteem, and a hope for a brighter future.

Stories of Hope

Edwin is a young man 23 years old who has been living on the street for 6 years. Edwin was addicted to sniffing glue. When asked why he started this habit Edwin responded, “to keep the hunger away.” Edwin is one of the thousands of street children in Kenya, the difference? He decided to make a change in his life. He is now in school learning technical skills he didn’t even know he could posses. Edwin has high marks in school and is always anxious to return to his studies on his leave. He has been glue free for over 1 year and will be finishing school in 2 years, sponsored throughout my the mission. He is prepared, after, to work hard at succeeding in his new life while earning a sustainable income that will keep him off the streets. Edwin was a boy that we the Coptic Orthodox Church identified as being willing and ready to make a change in his life. After close interaction and supervision of Edwin by mission team workers and leaders over a period of time, the Coptic mission decided to give Edwin a chance, and they did. The mission today is actively involved in working with other street boys like Edwin who have shown great potential and a deep desire to advance themselves, but do not have the opportunity. Currently, the mission is sponsoring three other boys like Edwin in pursuing the education and experience they need to keep themselves off the street. Although the mission is making an impact, there is still much more to be done. There are still thousands of boys out there who can with such opportunities make the positive changes in their lives which they dream for. “I pray that my friends and my brothers on the streets can get the same opportunity I got” Edwin states, “I would have never been able to do any of this if it wasn’t for the love and care of others.” The mission hopes to continue to provide this love and care, through the great help of our supporters, to bring hope for a better future to lives of so many others in the near future. We can and must make a difference.

Get Involved

If you feel inspired by the Lord to serve the Street Children, or to help in any way from where you are, please contact us via the E-mail Contact Form.