March Visit
Dear Friends and Family of Kiota Kids,
Happy June from all of us here at Kiota Kids!
Our trip to the centre in March was absolutely incredible, and we have SO much exciting news to share with you all. Between new projects, unforgettable adventures, and many proud moments, the centre has been buzzing.New Kitchen
One of the biggest accomplishments from our trip was building a brand-new kitchen! And let us tell you… this was a game changer. The old kitchen filled with smoke while cooking over the open fire in the middle of the room, meaning our cook and children were breathing smoke day in and day out. The new kitchen now has:
A huge chimney and proper ventilation
A bench for food preparation
Four efficient brick bays to cook on that reduce firewood usage and are more ergonomic for our staff
Brand new 50L cooking pots with handles (which is much safer when carrying nearly 50kgs of boiling food to the dining hall!)
This is Sharron cooking their favourite meal of chapati. It is a traditional flatbread made with wheat flour and water cooked on an iron skillet over the fire. The kids cook over 200 chapati every Sunday as a weekend treat!
Family Tracing & Home Visits
During our trip, we were also able to spend time doing family tracing and home visits for some of the children. Every child at Kiota Kids has a unique story and background. When we are able to better understand where they come from and their pasts, we can better support their growth at the centre and help plan for their future.
These visits are emotional, important, and incredibly meaningful in helping children maintain any safe family bonds and foster their healing journey.
Best Day Ever!
Now for what may have been the children’s favourite adventure of all time…
One of our generous donors funded the VERY FIRST field trip the children have ever been on outside the centre. We surprised them with a giant yellow school bus waiting outside and only told them one thing:
“Pack an extra pair of clothes.”
The ensuing excitement albeit chaotic was infectious! After driving an hour and a half, we arrived at the destination…
A SWIMMING POOL.
Almost none of the children had ever swum before. There are no lakes or rivers nearby, and many had never been submerged in water in their lives!
Hours of screaming, splashing, nervous giggling, floating, jumping, and pure joy. Some kids were brave immediately, others cautiously clung to the wall, all were laughing. They climbed up on our shoulders, others we held up in our arms as they laid on their backs experiencing the sensation of floating for the first time. Imagine 60 children in one pool for 4 hours with smiles plastered on all of our faces, water and limbs in every direction and a symphony of continuous sheiks; it was perfect. Our cheeks hurt from smiling so much.
For the next two weeks straight, the children thanked us every single day without fail saying:
“That was the best day ever.”
Honestly it was!
Barefoot Champions
Many of our children competed in the district school track and field races this term. We all went together to cheer them on as hundreds of village children raced barefoot through the red dirt and grass fields.
Our boys Mlango, Marky, Kasumani, Kamwilo, and Ian all won first place in multiple races! We were all there at the finish line cheering and clapping as they won again and again! We were so proud as they continued on to compete at the sub-county and county competitions.
Surprise Artwork
Before leaving one day, I put paint out because I planned to repaint some walls later. I ran into town quickly to grab supplies and when I returned… the walls were COVERED in giant murals!
At first I was shocked — but honestly, they were beautiful.
The children had painted huge colourful scenes of animals, forests, village life, and even superheroes remembered from old movies. Their creativity absolutely blew us away. There is so much talent in these kids we come to see more and more every day!
Kelvin’s Story - From Street Boy to Welder
One of the absolute highlights of our trip was reuniting with some of our graduating teens.
Kelvin, who recently completed his Welding studies, walked through the centre gates one day and he was nearly tackled in hugs from all of us!
He was so proud to tell us that he now has a full-time job! He is earning enough money to rent his own small room in town. He is able to buy himself breakfast and lunch whilst working and was very proud to tell us that he is cooking his own dinner each night. It’s hard to believe I was standing in front of the same boy I met just two years ago with hollowed out cheeks, sleeping underneath roadside fruit stalls, not ever knowing when he would be able eat next.
The kids look up to Kelvin so much, and seeing one of their “big brothers” thriving in this next chapter of life gave them hope for their own futures too.
Bananas, Bananas, Bananas
The drought finally ended and the rains came!! The centre had gotten a whole lot greener!
March is peak mango season in Kenya so the children were climbing every tree in sight filling their tee shirts, pockets and bags full of sweet fruit and always bringing some home to share. Now that the soil was moist again we were generously gifted many banana trees to plant!
6 banana trees were brought over by one of the school teachers
6 gifted by a local church
Another 5 gifted by a neighbor
We are so grateful of how this community continuously shows up for the children in small but meaningful ways. Soon the centre will be filled with even more fresh food, shade, and smiling kids climbing banana trees.
Thank you!
Everything shared here — every meal cooked, every school race run, every banana tree planted, every swimming lesson, every second chance — exists because of your support.
Thank you for being part of this family. Thank you for believing in these children. And thank you for continuing to help us build a safe Kiota (nest) where kids can grow, heal, dream, and thrive.
With Gratitude,
The Kiota Kids Family