Mtaa Watoto
Donate

Mtaa Watoto — supporting and reintegrating children living and working on the streets of Nairobi

Nairobi at golden hour: an avenue of acacia trees, matatus and city buildings

Nairobi child reintegration initiative

Every child deserves
somewhere to belong.

We walk with children living and working on the streets of Nairobi — from first contact, through safety and schooling, to a family and a future they choose for themselves.

Scroll

From the streets
to a future.

Five stages, in the order they actually happen. Each one takes months, not moments — and no stage is skipped to make the story shorter.

Quiet Nairobi street in early morning light
  1. 01 Street
  2. 02 Safety
  3. 03 Education
  4. 04 Family
  5. 05 Future

01 — Street

It begins with a name.

Our outreach teams walk the same routes week after week. No cameras, no promises we can't keep — just presence, until a child chooses to talk.

01 / 05

Our impact

Numbers that stand for people.

Demo data — replace with verified figures

0+Children supported

Individual children reached through outreach and centre services since inception.

0+Returned to education

Enrolled in formal school, catch-up class or vocational training.

0+Family reunifications

Completed after assessment, mediation and a six-month follow-up plan.

0%Program retention

Children still engaged with a caseworker twelve months after intake.

The journey

Eight stages, one child at a time.

01

Outreach

Street-based teams make contact on the child's terms, in the places they already are.

01 / 08 — Outreach

Programs

Eight ways we stay.

Select a programme to see what it involves, how big it is, and how it is funded. Every child moves between several of these — rarely in a straight line.

Outreach workers walking through a Nairobi neighbourhood at dusk

Street Outreach

Two-person teams cover fixed routes on a weekly rota, offering first aid, water, referrals and conversation. Children are never removed against their will.

Routes
11 weekly
Contacts / month
~340 (demo)

Where we work

Across Nairobi, ward by ward.

Areas are shown broadly on purpose. We never publish the precise locations of shelters or of the children we work with.

Central corridorEastern wardsWestern wardsNorthern ward clusterSouthern ward cluster

Central corridor

Daytime outreach around transport hubs and market edges. First-contact work only.

Stories of change

Five steps, years apart.

Demo stories — fictional, no real child depicted

The structure below mirrors how a real case unfolds. Names are pseudonyms and the details are written for this prototype only — we publish a child's story solely with informed, ongoing consent.

  1. 01Before support

    Two years working at a market, sleeping in a group of six.

  2. 02First connection

    Met an outreach worker on the same corner for eleven weeks.

  3. 03Education

    Joined bridging class, then Grade 6 at a nearby primary school.

  4. 04Family & community

    An aunt was traced; mediation ran over four months.

  5. 05Current progress

    Living at home, in school, plays for the centre team.

  1. 01Before support

    Left home after a family breakdown; worked collecting scrap.

  2. 02First connection

    Came to the drop-in centre with a friend for a meal.

  3. 03Education

    Enrolled in tailoring training alongside evening literacy class.

  4. 04Family & community

    Weekly counselling; contact with her mother restored slowly.

  5. 05Current progress

    Second-year trainee, saving through an alumni group.

  1. 01Before support

    Six months on the street after his guardian fell ill.

  2. 02First connection

    Referred by a shopkeeper who knew the outreach team.

  3. 03Education

    Returned to Grade 4 with fees and uniform covered.

  4. 04Family & community

    Household support arranged for his grandmother.

  5. 05Current progress

    At home for eighteen months; attendance above 90%.

Founders

The people who refused to look away.

Placeholder people — replace with real founders

Portrait of Placeholder Name A, Co-founder & Executive Director (placeholder)

Involved since 2009

Placeholder Name A

Co-founder & Executive Director

A social worker by training who spent a decade in county child protection before starting the organisation with two colleagues and one borrowed room.

“I kept meeting the same children in the same files, years apart. The system could see them. It just could not stay with them.”

The team

Drag or swipe →

PD

Program Director

Oversees all eight programmes and safeguarding.

OC

Outreach Coordinator

Plans routes, rotas and first-contact protocol.

SW

Social Workers

Twelve caseworkers holding individual case files.

EL

Education Lead

School placement, bridging class and attendance.

CP

Community Partnerships

Schools, clinics, chiefs and county offices.

VL

Volunteers

Mentors, tutors and weekend activity leads.

Recognition

Awards & acknowledgement

Demo — replace with verified awards

2024

Community Impact Award

Recognition for locally-led child protection practice.

2023

Youth Development Recognition

For vocational pathways and alumni support.

2021

Nairobi Social Innovation Award

For the bridging-class model of school re-entry.

2019

Community Partnership Award

For joint casework with county child services.

Partners

Placeholder marks — no real logos shown

Education Partners

  • Placeholder School Network
  • Placeholder Learning Trust
  • Placeholder Bursary Fund

Healthcare Partners

  • Placeholder Clinic Group
  • Placeholder Health Initiative

Community Partners

  • Placeholder Ward Association
  • Placeholder Faith Network
  • Placeholder Youth Sacco

Corporate Partners

  • Placeholder Logistics Co.
  • Placeholder Bank
  • Placeholder Telco

Get involved

Give time, skills or a room full of noise.

Volunteers are police-vetted and trained before any contact with children, and we ask for a minimum six-month commitment — consistency matters more than enthusiasm.

Corporate partnerships
Skills days, matched giving, apprenticeship placements.
In-kind support
Books, uniforms, workshop tools, transport.
Legacy giving
Endowing a place in the aftercare programme.
Schools
Twinning, pen-pal projects and joint sports days.

Register interest

Demo form — submissions are not sent or stored.

Where you could help

Latest

Demo updates

12 June

Back-to-school support reaches 120 students

Uniforms, books and term fees delivered across four partner schools ahead of the new term.

28 May

New community learning partnership

A ward association will host evening literacy sessions in its hall three nights a week.

09 May

Volunteer weekend in Nairobi

Sixty volunteers repainted the drop-in centre and ran a two-day sports programme.