You are here: Activities | Overseas | Diani

Diani Children Support Centre

For more information please contact:

Janet Stilgoe on 01905 27065


The Diani Children Support Centre was formed in June 2008 and registered by the government of Kenya to provide education, care, clothing, protection and food to the following categories of children:

1. Orphaned children – our first priority;

2. The children of single parent families;

3. The children of poor families.

Currently we are caring for fifty-eight children aged from three to five years. Some children will leave us to go to to primary education but more orphans and disadvantaged children arrive almost every day.

Why are there so many orphans in Kenya?

Most Kenyan children lose one or both of their parents due to illness and the biggest killer by far is AIDS.

AIDS has been killing 700 Kenyans a day. By December 2001, 1.5 Million people had died of AIDS in Kenya with an estimate of deaths due to AIDS as 2.6 Million by the end of 2005. Most people dying of AIDS are 15-49 years so the country is losing its productive labour force as well as having to face the social and emotional impact.

As the people who are dying are in their prime reproductive age many have young children. The number of orphans, especially those who have been orphaned as a result of AIDS, is growing rapidly. According to a report, Children on the Brink 2002, compiled by UNAIDS, UNICEF and USAID, there were an estimated 1,659,000 orphans in Kenya in 2001 out of which 892,000 were orphans due to Aids. The report estimated Kenya would have about 1,920,000 orphans by the year 2005 out of which 1,265,000 would be due to AIDS.

The latest estimate (2010) is that there are 2,500,000 orphans in Kenya with the majority due to AIDS.