Our History

In April 1999, the East African Women’s League Naivasha branch launched a feeding and teaching programme at the Y.M.C.A. in Kabati, Naivasha town, to help with the growing problem of street children. James Forshall, an overseas donor, who had established a Trust in the memory of his daughter Romilly, pledged regular funds. The project was very successful but the children still had to leave at the end of the day and sleep on the streets.

In 2001, Missy convinced her husband Igal, who owned Panda Flowers together with Pritam, to donate ten acres of beautiful land and a borehole. The Romilly Forshall Foundation offered to fund two dormitories and building commenced with the assistance of Hobra Manufacturing Ltd in June 2002.

H Young, Mutsubishi and Geopower Project Co. agreed to build the classrooms, administration block, dining/social hall and kitchen. East African Satsung Swaninarayan Temple, assisted by Laxmanbhai Construction, built staff housing and Chloride Exide installed solar power. Donations poured in from far and wide as this amazing project took shape.

The result: a residential shelter that is now home to fifty-eight boys, five kilometres from Naivasha town, set against cliffs with an amazing view of the lake. There is also a growing animal community: three dogs and fifteen geese who help with security, chickens whose surplus eggs are sold, rabbits, cats, five cows who supply our milk (two were born this year) and two donkeys who power the cart that is the shelter’s one form of transport. The shelter is run by an enthusiastic team of nine, four of whom are resident, under the guidance of a committee of five volunteers and a small board of trustees.

We started the day programme in 1999 with eleven boys; in 2003, forty boys took up residence in the new dormitories – some could not remember when they had slept in a bed, let alone how to make one. Since then, we have placed over thirty-eight boys into jobs in the area, and we now have fifty-eight boys at the shelter, the youngest of whom was only three when he came to us. He is now six and a half. Even after Graduating the boys visit their only home.

Meanwhile, demand continues to grow on the streets of Naivasha. We could take more boys off the streets – but to do this we need more funds…