After years of renting rooms, Chaffinch was able to fund a permanent home for the Bornstar Children’s Centre. With no more need to pay rent, the project became immediately more sustainable.

The purchased rooms that will become the new centre for dozens of Kibera’s orphans and children of teenaged mothers are in need of significant renovation work. For example:

• The installation of steel doors for enhanced security;
• A new corrugated iron roof;
• New render/hard cast to strengthen the mud walls;
• A new steel gate to the compound.

This basic work needs to be completed in order for the children to move in for the new school year in January 2026.

Our priority in terms of fundraising is always to give the children of Kibera the resources for a healthy life. However, we are keenly aware of the urgent need to completely overhaul the appearance of our website. The graphics, front end aesthetics, textual content and SEO wording all need to be re-imagined for maximum exposure and engagement. Currently we have a volunteer who edits all of our textual material and a volunteer SEO expert. We also have an excellent web designer willing to help us update the visuals of our site but she can’t do this on a volunteer basis due to the work involved. It will cost us approximately £3000 to cover the fees for our designer to complete the updates. If you can donate even a small amount this would make an enormous difference. For those who aren’t able to donate funds but have technical skills, could you give us an hour or 2 of your time to do a bit of work? Our site is built on WordPress. You can get in touch by email or on social media. Thank you so much!!

If we raise more money than is needed, the additional funds will be allocated to a new fund aimed at promoting our new website and increasing its reach.

Residents of Kibera are particularly vulnerable to the impact of climate change, including drought and flooding, as well as effects of human action and political instability. Lack of infrastructure, basic house construction, poor drainage systems and overcrowding can lead to destruction of homes, displacement of families, and contamination of water sources.  Diseases can quickly become epidemics here. Fire is also common either from cooking fires and gas bottles or from informal electrical connections.  With support, we can mobilise relief efforts to provide emergency shelter, food, clean water and medical care to the affected community in a crisis. Supporting these efforts can make a significant difference in helping Kibera residents recover from disasters and crises.

Can you donate today so Chaffinch can be there for Kibera’s children when emergency strikes?