Diani Children Support Centre
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.