Some days remind you why we do what we do. This was one of them.
I recently spent a full day out in the community with my family, visiting the frontline of child protection in Kenya: Naivasha Law Courts, the Naivasha Children’s Department and the Gilgil Children’s Department.
I brought Jonas and Lovisa along too – I wanted them to see, firsthand, the work that goes on behind the scenes to keep Kenyan children safe. It’s one thing to talk about our work at the dinner table. It’s another thing entirely to stand alongside the people doing it, and see exactly why it matters.
Visiting the courthouse
We also visited Naivasha Law Courts, the courthouse where we installed our second video link – technology designed to give children the chance to give evidence without the added trauma of appearing in person. Standing in that space with Jonas and Lovisa, and explaining to them why it’s there, was a proud moment for me.
It’s a commitment to the most important job in the world. Helping children to live a life of safety and love.
An extraordinarily difficult year for Gilgil
Our visit to the Gilgil Children’s Department came at a hard time for their team. This year, they’ve had to support their community through the deaths of 16 young girls in a boarding school fire – the kind of tragedy no one is ever fully prepared for, and one that has left a deep mark on the whole community. Processing something of that scale would be difficult for any team, with any resources. Gilgil’s staff have been doing it while working from an office with nothing more than pen and paper, and now, with a new child protection information system requiring every reported case to be formally recorded, that load was only going to get heavier.
Meeting the people who carry this work day in, day out was humbling. They are calm, capable and completely dedicated to the children in their care, often with very little in the way of resources or recognition. We’re genuinely lucky to have them looking out for our children during some of the hardest moments of their lives.
Why we donated the laptops
By the end of our visit, we’d donated a laptop each to the Naivasha and Gilgil Children’s Departments. It’s a small, practical thing – but for staff managing case files, court paperwork and now mandatory digital case records by hand, it changes what’s possible day to day. Less time on paperwork means more time and energy for the children who need it most.
A lot of the children in our own care come from these communities, so when their local children’s departments needed support, it mattered to us. We don’t do this because it’s expected of us. We do it because when the people protecting children are properly supported, children are safer – including the children we care for at Rafiki Mwema.
When the people protecting children are properly supported, all children are safer
The relationships that make this possible
None of this happens without the relationships our team builds on the ground. Our Community Relations Manager, Erick, works closely with both children’s departments, as well as local police and officials, and has built genuine trust and rapport with each of them over time. It’s that kind of steady, ongoing relationship – not a one-off visit – that means Rafiki Mwema can show up in the right way, at the right time, with the right kind of support.
Getting out into the community
Days like this matter to me personally, too. I wanted Jonas and Lovisa to get out into the community and see what we do – not as an abstract idea, but as real people, real relationships and real impact. It’s a privilege to be able to show them that, and to spend a day alongside the people doing this work every single day.
You can read more about our work in the community on our Outreach page.
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