Bornstar Children's Centre

Orphans and especially the children of vulnerable adolescent young women are demographics which often face significant challenges and hardships. This isn’t a question of “giving handouts” but rather, offering real support to children who are frequently at grave risk.

Bornstar Children’s Centre’s current premises are located in an area of the Kibera slum, Kenya, known as Olympic. It’s much like many other parts of Kibera and is situated close to the railway line.

The centre has needed to relocate numerous times during its lifetime. The centre has no designated premises of its own at present; a one-room corrugated iron church structure is rented from Monday to Friday. It has had to change its location on several occasions, when the rooms rented have been sold to new owners or otherwise become unavailable.

The founders and current directors of the centre are Derrick Kidake and his wife Mercy. They are passionately devoted to providing the children with a chance for education and advocate for them as if they were their own. Derrick regularly entreaties any organisation who may be able to assist him in his ongoing mission to support the children attending the centre.

The Bornstar Children’s Centre is comprised of pre-school which incorporates a playgroup for children 2-4 years, and Pre-primary 1 and 2 for children 4-6 years. Then there are also primary classes (Grades 1 and 2) for children from 6-8 years. The vast majority of the centre’s 35 learners are in pre-school; only 4 currently attend the primary school.

Like Bornstar Children’s Centre, Future Stars starts with playgroup and has a pre-school and primary school. However, it offers continuing education for children through a full primary school until age 12. Our primary goal in partnering with Bornstar Children’s Centre is to continue our mission to reach more of Kibera’s children by encouraging the growth of a second project in another area of this disadvantaged community. This has always been, and will continue to be, our driving aim and focus.

Despite many setbacks, Derrick’s passion and hard work have maintained the Bornstar Children’s Centre project until Chaffinch became involved in 2025. The children of Bornstar are extremely vulnerable and without ongoing funding and practical support, might lose the opportunity to education during the crucial early years stage.

The project is still in its infancy and full of enormous potential. We’re hopeful that with your commitment to helping us offer support and guidance, we can achieve the same heights of success and achievement that we have been privileged to observe at Future Stars Development Centre.

The more children Bornstar Children’s Centre is able to accept, the greater its growth and foundations will be. Just maybe in the not-too-distant future, Bornstar will find a permanent home and establish itself among the local citizens in the same way that Future Stars has been able to maintain. Will you make even a small donation towards the children’s education and the amazing hardworking staff of Bornstar today? A little goes an incredibly long way.