Stahili FAQs

Where does Stahili work?

Stahili is registered in the Netherlands, Kenya, the United States, and Canada. Our child protection and development programmes are run in Kenya while our advocacy campaigns address children’s rights globally.

What issues are important to Stahili?

Stahili advocates for the universal realisation of children’s rights, particularly the right to education and the right to family. Our work is focused advocating for family-based care instead of placing children in residential care institutions, sometimes called ‘orphanages’ or ‘children’s homes’ We also care a lot about how young people around the globe donate their time and money. We work with students and teachers to learn about responsible engagement, sustainable development, and the harms of orphanage ‘voluntourism’.

Who does Stahili help?

Stahili supports vulnerable children who have been trafficked to orphanages as well as their families.

Can I volunteer with the children?

We believe that children need specialised local support. Unskilled and unqualified volunteers, though acting with the best of intentions, can do more harm than good when it comes to children’s well-being and development. For this reason we do not organise volunteer placements in Kenya. However, there are many other ways to get involved in our work from your home location to make sustainable change which has an impact.

Learn how you can take action.

How much expenditure goes to children?

Stahili is fueled mostly by volunteers, meaning that we can ensure that all donations directly impact the lives of vulnerable children. In 2016, more than 95% of expenditure went to directly support children’s education, families and community development. See our most recent annual report.

How does Stahili fund its programmes?

Our protection and development programme are funded by generous individuals, and non-profit and civil society organisations, including clubs and schools. Our human rights and global education programmes are currently volunteer-driven by dedicated experts in the field of children’s rights, social work, and education, as well as students.

What’s wrong with placing children in orphanages?

Did you know that more than 80% of children living in orphanages have families? Orphanages are places of last resort and have been shown to be bad for children’s development. Every child has a right to remain with his or her family as far as possible. Where it is not in the best interest of the child to be with his or her family, or where he or she has no one, children’s rights law and best practices provide that alternative family-based care must be established. We need to give all children what they need – a family!

How does Stahili help children to leave orphanages?

Working alongside competent authorities, we empower families and communities to remove children from orphanages or establish alternative care solutions in situations where necessary. We also work with residential care institutions to help children reunite with their families.

Who takes care of the students in Stahili’s programme?

Stahili is not the legal guardian of the children we support. All of the children have either been reunified with grandparents, aunts, uncles, or adult siblings or placed in family structures by establishing community and kinship-based foster care. Stahili provides family-based support and monitors child welfare and progress on a regular basis

How does Stahili empower families and communities?

We believe that the correct and most effective response to separation from families, poverty and child exploitation lies in sustainable projects which empower children, families and communities. Stahili is community-driven and families are empowered through support based on individual family needs. We implement economic empowerment programmes through training and education.

What does Stahili’s education support entail?

Stahili supports students from primary school to post-secondary level, including university, college, and skills or vocational training. School is of little value without the tools children need to thrive, so we provide all materials and equipment needed by students to attend school such as uniforms, books, pens and pencils. We also meet personal living needs in food, accommodation, transportation, and hygiene. We also support guardians with vocational and other skills-training.

What is Stahili’s track record?

Since its inception, Stahili has enjoyed 100% education retention rates, has kept all children in its programme free from institutional care, and three students have advanced to post-secondary school — a feat possible due to the integration and nurturing of children in family and community settings, combined with access to quality full-time education. We continue to build on sustainable models for development and growth.

What is the role of children in Stahili’s programme?

Stahili uses a children’s rights approach in all of its programming. This means that children are key actors and agents of change. After all, children have the right to be heard when decisions are made regarding their well-being. Stahili provides training for children about their human rights and takes into account the views of children and youth when developing its programmes and monitoring and evaluating them.

What is the role of communities?

In 2015, a local community group was formed to work alongside Stahili to drive the process of sustainable change. In 2016, Stahili and the community partnered with local Chief Esther Wangechi Muchemi to end orphanages in one area of rural Kenya and to strengthen community-based solutions to poverty and institutionalisation.