Our Programmes
Upendo is a day care center that provides holistic support to orphans and destitute children in Kilifi Township with food, education and school enrichment, healthcare, psychosocial support, housing improvement and vocational skills training among other forms of support.
Feeding Programme
The children are provided with a balanced diet, three meals in a day at the center from Monday to Saturday across the year. Upendo also holds a Christmas Party every year and distributes Christmas break food to all the guardians and children.
Education Programme
Upendo meets all the education costs of the children by providing them with school fees, uniform, stationery and other educational expenses. Upendo also runs a literacy/reading programme which involves book clubs aimed at inculcating a reading culture that will enhance the children’s learning skills in school, creating awareness of the importance and power of books, making the library a fun and leisure place as well as encouraging peer interactions through competition and excellent communication skills.
Healthcare Programme
The children’s health is maintained through the provision of a regular balanced diet, other basic needs as well as a loving environment. Upendo meets all the medical costs of all the children under the organisation
Upendo Music Group
The Music Group continues to make tremendous progress. The group won two trophies/awards at Injili Music and Mziki Africa Awards with the Best Gospel Cover song of the Year (East Africa) and as the Best Gospel Group of the Year (East Africa) respectively in Mombasa in 2019.
Psychosocial Support Programme
This programme aims at meeting the physical, emotional, social and mental well-being of the children. Key activities under this programme include counselling, life skills training, SRH/R education, pastoral care, mental health education, home and school visits and case followups. Upendo also conducts seminars on life skills and positive parenting to the guardians and recreatioanal activities during family fun days. The programme has helped the children deal with adolescence, trauma, grief and anxiety related to parental illness or death.
Housing Improvement Programme
No child should go without housing, clothing and access to safe water, basic hygiene and guardianship. Through the provision of clothing, bedding, mosquito nets and shelter improvement, we are empowering the guardians who are the caregivers to our beneficiaries.
Upendo construct houses for the families under our care depending on the level of need.
Upendo has so far constructed 11 houses and several families are still on our waiting list.
Outreach Programme
In order to raise social and environmental awareness among the children, Upendo conducts community outreach/service activities including hospital and beach clean-ups and free tree planting. Upendo also partners with other organisations to undertake fundraising activities to support the communities.
Vocational Skills Training Programme
This programme gives the children vocational skills. The children are taught five courses under this programme: tailoring, hair-dressing, hair-cutting, crocheting and bead work. From these vocational skills training, the children are able to make their own school uniform, clothes and for others, beadwork products/jewelry such as bracelets, purses, earrings, necklaces, etc. Under the hair-dressing and hair-cutting courses, the children learn about hair cutting, washing and blow drying (conditioning and shampooing), plaiting (plaiting and braiding and preparing dummy dolly), relaxing (long and short hair) and twisting with rastas. Under crocheting, the children make apparel, home decor and accessories.