The sense of family and community is vital to the Program and to the children. Placed in guardian homes, the children experience a sense of family. The younger children are mentored and supported by the older children in the Program, who understand their struggles and fears. They also have supportive staff at the Center, including trained Kenyan social workers and community health volunteers. This gives them a sense of belonging to a small community.
The Center provides workshops on many relationship and behavioral topics and brings in local professionals, government advisors, and tribal leaders to lead healthy discussions. This gives the children a sense of belonging to a larger community. Finally, the children perform and celebrate with the safari visitors every summer and fall and experience a sense of a global community.
With all this support, the children can have HOPE for a bright and successful future.
Personal check-ins by the Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) and social workers on a regular basis with each household continue to be a lifeline of hope to those who find themselves alone and cut off from society. It lets these households, some with just an old woman and a couple little kids, know that someone knows you, someone is listening, and someone cares. Providing the CHVs with bicycles has greatly increased the number of household visits and improved communication, intervention, and service.