Kwetu Home of Peace (KHP) is a charitable children’s institution established in 1993 under the Archdiocese of Nairobi. The home was founded by Fr. Michael Meunier, a Missionary of Africa, as a Care and Feeding Centre for street children. Over time, the program evolved into a residential center with a mission to rescue, rehabilitate, and reintegrate street boys back into their families. KHP rescues boys between the ages of 8 and 14 from the street and provides them with love, dignity, and hope to reclaim and restore their well-being to rediscover their talent and potential for a productive future.
From a Feeding Centre to a Residential Centre
In 1995, Kwetu Home became a residential center acting as a halfway house for street boys. Our program has three intakes per year, rescuing 20-25 boys to live in our main center. After the drop-in phase, the boys are transferred to the Main House in Ruai, where they continue with rehabilitation, receive spiritual formation, and get a chance to go back to school. The Ruai Centre can accommodate up to 120 boys. The whole process at our Ruai Home takes about two years, after which the boys are reintegrated back into their families.
Our Major Commitment
Kwetu Home of Peace’s primary commitment is to give these boys love, dignity, and hope to reclaim and restore their well-being to rediscover their talent and potential for a productive future. We cater to the children’s upkeep, training fees, medication, clothing, housing, psychosocial support, etc. Our home has 120 boys, ranging from 8 to 17 years old.
Our Story
Kwetu Home of Peace was started in 1993 by a Missionary of Africa priest named Michel Meunier. He was a parish priest at South B: Our Lady Queen of Peace. It was started as a feeding program for both boys and girls because Michel saw how many children lingered around the church begging for food and money. Fr. Michel and his fellow priests saw a need to educate the children they fed. After finding out that the majority were sleeping on the streets, they decided to make a residential home where they could care for their pupils’ needs and monitor their school performance. Currently, Kwetu can accommodate more than 140 boys in both centers.
Rescuing Street Boys
Street children in Nairobi face many challenges, including a lack of access to education, healthcare, shelter, and basic necessities such as food and clothing. Most of them are orphaned or have been abandoned by their families due to poverty, disease, or other reasons. The majority of these children end up living on the streets, where they are exposed to violence, drug abuse, and sexual exploitation.
Kwetu Home of Peace provides these boys with a second chance at life. Our program rescues boys from the street and offers them a safe and supportive environment where they can receive education, healthcare, and psychosocial support. We believe that every child has the potential to transform their own circumstances and become productive and successful members of society.
Rehabilitation and Reintegration
Our program offers a comprehensive approach to rehabilitation, which includes spiritual formation, counseling, education, and vocational training. We provide boys with the necessary skills and knowledge to become self-sufficient and lead productive lives. After completing our program, boys are reintegrated back into their families or placed in foster care.
Community Impact
Kwetu Home of Peace is making an impact in the community and beyond. Studies show that children thrive in families, and our dream is to be able to impact and transform the lives of more children by serving them from their homes and families rather than having them live at the center.