 2001: Footsteps International was inaugurated and started to provide food for twelve orphans in Mombasa, Kenya. Funded wheelchairs made by people who are themselves disabled at the Bombolulu centre, Mombasa.
2002: Footsteps International was registered with the Charity Commission, and helped buy land in Mombasa to build a new children’s home. Footsteps started to provide funds to help the Naivasha Technical Training Institute which was facing closure due to the withdrawal of a major donor, and also started to support education of poor children.
2003: Footsteps continued to support the orphans in Mombasa while building the new orphanage. The project scope was enlarged to provide a school with a capacity of over 400 children.
2004: The Tumaini Centre in Mombasa – a school for over 400 children and a home for 24 orphans - was opened in February 2004. The same month, a feeding programme was started in Naivasha, central Kenya, which culminated in the construction of the Sunshine Home. Over 60 street boys were taken in and provided with education or training. Footsteps also provided support for the construction of a new school building for the Mercy Nursery School, Burma
2005: The number of children at the Tumaini school and children’s home grew steadily during the year. Footsteps purchased new land for agricultural development at the Sunshine Home and increased the number of children on the educational sponsorship programme. New homes were provided for widows in Kenya, and Footsteps commenced support for the No More Tears children’s home in Kamakwie, Sierra Leone.
2006:
By the end of the year we were caring for 28 children at the Tumaini Children’s Home, 70 ex-street boys at Sunshine Home, and nearly 100 children were receiving education sponsorship. We purchased 69 wheelchairs, helping some desperately needy disabled people. At the end of the year we purchased a piece of land to build workshops for the Sunshine Boys, and started development of a new home for them in partnership with Mission Care.
2007:
We had the joy of seeing ‘our’ first street boy getting married in February. Kamau and Jennifer now have a small house of their own. We bought a piece of land and commenced construction of the Sunshine Workshops where ex-street boys can start to earn a living. We bought 50 wheelchairs, helping many disabled people, and also assisting APDK survive a major financial setback.
2008:
Following the presidential elections, violence erupted across Kenya in January, affecting all the areas that Footsteps works in. We thank God no-one we knew was killed or injured, but the impact of the riots was felt throughout the year. Despite this, we were able to continue the care of 70 street boys at the Sunshine Home and the 28 children at Tumaini, several of whom have now completed secondary school. We enlarged our support for needy families in Lake Victoria, where we now help 7 poor, elderly or extended families.
2009: The number of ex-street boys we care for at the Sunshine Home increased to over 90. We now have an effective system for getting boys of the streets, off glue and drugs, and into education and training. This sustained support means that it is highly likely that they will be able to find paid work and become independent.
We continued to provide care for 26 children at the Tumaini Children’s Home in Mombasa, and several children completed secondary school and started work.
Top: Tumaini under construction.
Tumaini opening Feb 2004.
Day1 at Sunshine Home.
Bottom: Kamau and Jennifer
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