Restart Centre, Gilgil, Kenya
Restart Centre
Sanata Restart centre (Children's Rescue Centre) is a haven for about 70 less fortunate abandoned, abused street, orphaned and neglected children. Their ages range from babies to 20 years (none truly knows their age so we have to guess with the dentist's help).
The centre was started after the disputed 2007/8 elections in Kenya, when Gilgil was inundated with displaced people from all over the troubled areas. There was a huge increase in the population, bringing more poverty, prostitution, begging and children thrown onto the streets. Mothers couldn't feed their families, fathers had been killed or absconded. There was chaos and hardship in and out of the camps set up for the crisis.
We visited the centre in 2014 and looked again at sustainable project support options.
After careful consideration the Foundation decided to fund 20% of a new Briquette machine from China, at the time of the visit the former children now adults manufactured Briquettes for burning, these were then sold to finance support of the centre. The machine would automate the function to some degree allowing them to meet the increasing demand and therefore earning more money for the support of the centre.
We also agreed to sponsor a young girl through high school who had achieved excellent junior grade results at school, given her abusive upbringing prior to the centre supporting her.
