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.
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.
