Diani Children's Village was formed in 1994 to help abandoned and abused children. With changes in the Socioeconomic environment, the focus has shifted to becoming a Rescue Center. The number of abandoned infants has increased, babies who often have not received the best neonatal care and are vulnerable from the moment they are born. That first year is crucial and our team of carers are dedicated to give the babies the best chance of survival and a solid start to a good life.
The rate of unwanted pregnancies has skyrocketed because of changes in the socioeconomic environment. Abandoned infants in the most horrific situations, thrown on rubbish tips, pit latrines or just abandoned in a cardboard box by the wayside. In most cases the babies are severely immunocompromised and specialized care is essential for them to survive. The number of abandoned babies will increase soon as many young girls got pregnant since the outbreak of Covid-19 and closure of schools.
The problem is a Societal one and more than just one project can handle. We are, however, committed to providing the best possible care to each and every baby that ends up in our care. Establishing a record of who might be the mother of the babies and trying to understand the circumstances under which they were abandoned is key to knowing how to deal with each baby. Individual care programs can then be made to start the baby on their road to a healthy, safe and loving start to life.
Dealing with causes of child abandonment is our long term goal. Educating young adults as to the choices that they can and should be making will make a difference to reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies. In those cases where we do find relatives, we start the process of reuniting them with the help of counseling sessions and try to bridge the gap between the babies and relatives. If there is no trace of any relatives the babies once healthy and strong can be adopted within Kenya.
This project has provided additional documentation in a DOCX file (projdoc.docx).
