Grandsons of Abraham - A church based rescue center in Mombasa

In August 1984 the then coastal province Children’s officer Mrs. Fridah Mwangi was invited to attend UNICEF sponsored workshop in Nairobi. The purpose of the workshop was to address the issues of children especially difficult circumstances. During her key address to the participant the Provincial children officer lamented on the ever growing number of street children in Mombasa and so invited Fr. Arnold Grol (the founder of Undugu Society of Kenya)to start a rescue program in Mombasa so as to address this problems. Fr. Arnold Grol started the Undugu Mombasa in 1992.

In February 1995 the project adopted the name Grandsons of Abraham Rescue program. Brother Beaudry who was sponsored by the Mary Knoll fathers and Brothers (a Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America) became the first Director. From the very beginning its aim was to reunite street children with their families/ relatives and have community participation.

We work with all the street children of Mombasa but the majority of the street children are coming from all over Kenya, Tanzania and sometimes Uganda. The program started at a football pitch across the Star of the Sea primary school in Mombasa town as a feeding program. After about six months the program was moved to near the Tudor Catholic Church where we were able to set up tents for boys to sleep in. We saw the need to get the children off the streets where they were taking drugs and getting involved in commercial sex and drug trafficking. Two years later a priest Fr. George Grima from Malta saw the living conditions of the children and offered to build us a Centre. The Archbishop John Njenga gave us a plot in Mikindani where the Centre was built. We are presently working at the Centre in Mikindani and Kikambala.

A high percentage of the street children found in Mombasa are from Mariakani,Kisauni,Mshomoroni,Changamwe and Likoni Areas. In 1998 the Grandsons of Abraham started an outreach program in Mariakani. The program aims at reducing the influx of children from the Mariakani community to Mombasa town. It also promotes community support and contribution in addressing the problem.

In order to be more successful in returning children to their families or relatives we saw the need of networking. We are now networking with many programs and schools throughout Kenya and Tanzania to help us know how the reunited child is fairing on. Since 1999 the Grandsons of Abraham has helped in the formation of Mombasa Children in need Network.

To start a process of becoming self-reliance and keeping the children busy the Grandsons of Abraham in 1999 was given a plot near Port Reitz by the Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa. The shamba is supplementing to the kitchen budget and also allow the children undertake different farming activities which include cultivating vegetables, rearing of rabbits, layers and indigenous chickens, guinea pigs. In the year 2004, the project bought a shamba in Kikambala to do the same activities and more so, to relocate the project there as there is enough room.

The Grandsons of Abraham staff have received in service training to better the performance of the different staff have received training including Management of Street children projects- personnel, accounts, proposal writing, child rights, local fundraising, TOT drug management, street management.