Partnership Overview

Kariobangi Outreach Children's Home is managed by Mathare Community Outreach (KEN01b) and was opened in 1997 with the objective to cater for orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS. It started with only six children but currently looks after approximately 30 children aged between 5 and 18 years. The home provides shelter, education, clothing and food, in addition to counselling services assisting the children to cope with life after the loss of their parents. Since 1997 it has supported over 1,000 children. Some of them pursued their education successfully and now are working. They have also been able to reintegrate some children back to their families through tracing of families and preparing both the children and families. 

Kariobangi area is a low income residential estate in the north-eastern part of the city of Nairobi consisting of both slum type and tenement type buildings. Most of the buildings suffer from a chronic lack of maintenance and illegal land grabbing has converted vacant land, some of which was intended for entrepreneurial development (light industry and small to medium size enterprises), into more residential estates. This has eliminated much of the potential that existed to improve the economic situation of the area. 

History of Partnership

Bright Hope World started a partnership with MCO in 2000. We were then able to find a significant donor who took over this partnership but in 2012 that donor pulled out. This brought increased pressure on the MCO team so in late 2012 BHW decided to recommence our partnership there by supporting a number of children to go to school.

In 2016 Daniel Ogutu communicated with BHW's Field Director in regard to the financial challenges being faced by Kariobangi Children's Home. The home does not receive any government support and relies heavily on donor partners and individual well-wishers. At that stage they had inadequate financial support and were unable to provide children's personal effects like soap, toothpaste, sanitary towels, bedding, casual clothes etc. Paying for any medical care required was also a challenge, as well as purchasing the food required to provide the children with a balanced diet. 

In January 2017 BHW commenced providing financial support for this home.  

Beneficiaries

The primary beneficiaries are the orphans and vulnerable children living in Kariobangi Outreach Children's Home who are being fed, clothed, educated and loved. 

What We Like About The Partnership

We have had a long relationship with MCO and they have developed a good reputation in the area. The leaders are of high calibre and there is a strong spiritual component to the work they do.

Key People

Leadership Profile

Daniel and Magdalene Ogutu
The main leaders and overseers of the project are Daniel Ogutu and his wife Magdalene. Magdalene resigned from her job as an accountant in 1994 to work with the people of Mathare. When she first started helping out the starving children in the village she would prepare porridge for the children and teach them songs, Bible memory verses, reading, writing, and arithmetic. This grew very quickly from 15 children to 40 children within two weeks then after one month she was catering for 150 children. At this time, she called for help from the church and the work continued. 

After a successful career as an engineer Daniel could no longer deny the calling that God had for him and in 1994 he also left his job as an engineer to work fulltime caring for the abandoned in Mathare. Thousands of children and their parents have heard the gospel message through the work that God has done using Pastor Daniel and his wife Magdalene. 

Other People Involved

Vitalis Matinde
Vitalis is the pastor of the church at Kariobangi and the social worker for the children being supported by MCO in education. He is an enthusiastic man, full of faith and love for the children. Vitalis is married to Sarah. (Photo shows Vitalis and Sarah with Vitalis' son, Wilberforce).

Before becoming involved in ministry he worked as a fingerprint expert with the Kenya Police Force. He then left the Police and started a tour company. The company was very successful and they opened an office in Russia and were planning to open in Europe but the business crashed badly.

He then joined MCO-OCC and went to South Africa for Bible study at Covenant Bible College. When he returned to Kenya he became involved with Compassion International, overseeing their involvement in Mathare. Following that he worked with Bright Hope International as a social worker but when they ceased their financial support of Mathare he became involved in the Bright Hope World programme. He did a lot of training during that time.

He is now involved with 100 children, 25 of which live at Kariobangi Children's Home. During the day Vitalis works with the children at school and in the hostel. Evenings and weekends are for church work which keeps him very busy. He loves his work and is very happy with his dual role. 

Vision And Annual Strategy

Kariobangi Outreach Children's Home seeks to provide shelter, education, clothing, food and emotional/psychological support for orphans and vulnerable children impacted by HIV/AIDS. 

Annual Budget

BHW's annual budget here goes towards providing personal effects for the children, covering the costs associated with medical care, and providing food (this doesn't cover all the home's financial requirements). 

Personal Testimony

David Omondi

David's parents died when he was little and he stayed with his grandmother until he was 8 years old. He was then sent to a hostel in Maseno. After sometime that hostel was given to MCO-OCC and over a period of three years was closed down. David was one of the last remaining ones and was transferred to Kariobangi in 2014. 

He has other brothers older than him and when he was sent to the hostel, they refused to go. Neither of them has gone to school and their lives are a mess. 

Kariobangi is a very positive experience for him. At school he enjoys geography, biology, chemistry and business studies. He wants to be a doctor. If he doesn’t get enough marks for that he will study accounting. He is currently in Form 3 at Kariobangi and MCO Secondary. He became a Christian in 2012 at Kariobangi and is part of the praise and worship team. 

Irene Mwende  

Irene is 18 years old and in Form 3. She likes history, chemistry, business and maths, and wants to be a nurse. Her parents died two years ago and she then went to Kariobangi.

After class 8 she couldn’t go to school because there was no money for fees. In 2014 she started attending OCC church at Kariobangi and then started school.

She sees Vitalis at Kariobangi and thinks he is a very good pastor.  She is part of the Kariobangi worship team. She became a Christian three years ago and is thankful she has God to trust in and help her.