Skansen

1st Kenyan Community Home Completed

Skansen are pleased to announce the completion of the first community home in Meru. The KACH project involved building a three storey masonry building with reinforced concrete beams, slabs and a timber roof structure to house a lounge area, office, medical dispensary, bedrooms and classrooms. Project Manager, Nyagah Kithinji, described how he was “overwhelmed by the joy shown by the members of the community present during the handing over”.

Skansen have been working in partneship with IPI as project programmers since 2007 and have committed to establishng four further sustainable Community Homes around the town of Meru over the next five years.

 Located in the Eastern District of Kenya on the equator, Meru faces all the problems of urban areas throughout Africa. Unemployment and the slumping economy have caused increased homelessness, especially among small children. This is compounded by the high incidence of AIDS related deaths. Too many families cannot provide sustenance for their youngest members, resulting in the existence of large numbers of children homeless on the streets.

The initiatives envisaged by IPI provide a way for orphans to have their living, academic, social, health, and emotional needs met through a holistic and community-based approach, staffed by community volunteers and built on land donated by local villages. These homes will bring life changing benefits, not only in terms of providing safe and secure places to live but also the hope of a better future through education and self sufficiency.