KORDP works in two Districts of the Western Province of Kenya – in Webuye, and Kimilili Divisions of Bungoma District; Matayos and Budalangi Divisions of Busia District and Kigumo Division of Maragwa District in Central Province. We chose the communities in which we work because they showed the greatest need in our baseline study in 1999.

Our approach is to motivate the grassroots, not to impose solutions from the top down. At the centre of our approach is helping rural villages to establish and sustain early childhood development daycare centres (ECDs), which cater for children from the ages of three to six. As many of two-thirds of these children have lost one or both of their parents to HIV/AIDS.

At the ECDs, the children receive nutritious meals prepared by volunteers from food donated both by our funders and by the communities themselves. The children have the opportunity to play and talk and to develop socially, and are given basic exposure to numeracy and literacy which is often crucial in enabling them to go on to receive a primary school education.

Communities and caregivers can only support young children if they can support themselves. We provide necessary training and basic inputs – such as seeds and dairy goats, pigs or chickens – to improve food security and enable caregivers to earn an income. Having an ECD to look after young children also frees the time of caregivers to engage in agriculture based income-generating activities.

This process is democratic and driven by the grassroots. The communities themselves decide which are the most needy caregivers who should receive the support KORDP can offer.

We educate communities in the skills they need to care for young children – nutrition, health and especially the importance of psychosocial support, giving children the space to express themselves and work through their emotions. We raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in communities, helping to reduce the stigma and slow down the spread of the disease and hence the rates of orphanhood.

KORDP’s community nurses visit our partner communities’ ECDs regularly to check on the health of the children. We work closely with local government structures, helping communities to access the training, funding and support that’s available from relevant ministries in fields such as education and agriculture and health.

Our aim is never to foster dependence. Our definition of success is when we can leave a reinvigorated community to look after itself and move our attentions to a new one.