Njia Panda Ya Tumaini

Transforming Children's Lives

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Introduction

Njia Panda ya Tumaini (npyt) translates from Swahili to 'Crossroads of Hope' and is a Kenyan Community Based Organisation (CBO) assisting children and communities through integrated development initiatives. npyt facilitates the rehabilitation of street and other abused or neglected children by encouraging close links between community - child, project - child and project - community. It is currently in practice between 2 centres both near Kitale town in the North Rift Valley of Kenya. Multifaceted activities combine children's rehabilitation centres with community development initiatives, such as:

1. Community health clinics
2. Sports facilities
3. Provision of clean potable water
4. Improving infrastructures such as roads and schools
5. Forming women's groups and other CBOs
6. Providing community meeting halls
7. Training in home based income generating activities
8. HIV/AIDS awareness
9. Adult literacy and other classes
10. Empowerment

The advantages of such projects for community and child are numerous but can be summarised as follows:

1. Direct community participation in the projects.
2. Community acceptance of disadvantaged children into their community.
3. No institutionalisation of children.
4. Children (re)integrated into an African lifestyle.
5. Repatriation and reunification with families facilitated.
6. Preconceptions and negative attitudes towards street children quickly overcome.

To ensure positive development among children being rehabilitated, participation in all the community activities is encouraged while stability, love and attention at the centres helps the child enter formal education in local schools with dignity. Interaction with peers both from within and outside the projects is also encouraged.

This relationship brings the project (and it's children) into the community and the community into the project.

The children's centres will consider any child in need regardless of their health status, parental mortality or any other criteria that excludes some children from other organisations.

'A child in need is a child in need'.

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