Embu Rescue Centre and Youth Group

Apart from County Primary in the picture above, we have also funded refurbishments of Urban Primary and the local school for children with special needs. On the lower slopes of Mt Kenya, about 10 kms outside the town we have also re-built the rural Gatwe Primary School.

Location

Throughout the years the Embu Rescue Centre has never had any dedicated funding, we provide money from our unrestricted funds. This money pays for the feeding programme, the salary of the cook Lilian and the football coach and also Gilbert Njeru who manages the centre. Volunteers do get involved quite regularly, the latest example being King Edwards School in Bath, whose music teacher has set up a music therapy programme.

2005 – We renovated the centre and put in a store, kitchen with eco-stove, toilet and shower facilities, installed a perimeter fence and equipped the centre with utensils and equipment.

2006  – We started the Black Cats Sports programmewhich has been successful in attracting around 40 or 50 children weekly to take part in a team activity.

2011 – Severe storm damage led to donors contributing to pay for much-needed repairs to the building.

• Adventure Alternative volunteers have helped to renovate and build the centre
• Mr Chris Bowden has for many years funded the feeding programme for the children.
• Blackrock Hillwalking Club in Cork donated football equipment.
• King Edwards School Music Department (special thanks to Lucie Perris)
• Steven Fletcher, Vision for Kids Northern Ireland
• Kaveh Guilanpour bought the interlocking brick machine

Volunteering – teaching non-examinable subjects such as music, sport, arts and running extra-curricular clubs and providing small group reading lessons, mentoring and group therapy work. Note that this position will require a DBS check and some evidence and experience of working with children.

Volunteering – teaching non-examinable subjects such as music, sport, arts and running extra-curricular clubs and providing small group reading lessons, mentoring and group therapy work. Note that this position will require a DBS check and some evidence and experience of working with children.

The following short video tells the experience of a group of students from Oxford Brookes University as they travel around Kenya on their ‘Exploring Social Enterprise’ field trip, part of their time was spent in Embu.

In 2005 most of the Rescue Centre kids had a lack of direction in their life, many were sleeping on the streets and sniffing glue daily. When we started the Black Cats football clubs in Embu in 2006 we realised how bad the addiction to glue was…some of the boys were hiding glue in the sleeves of their football tops and sniffing during competitive matches, they were certainly rough diamonds!

The difference in those same people today is astounding, and is testament to the hard work of the volunteers and staff at the Embu Rescue Centre, particularly Lilian Wanjiru who acts like a mother to all the kids, James Kariuki who gives up his days to volunteer at the Rescue Centre and Gilbert Njeru.

The aim of the youth group is to promote and develop social enterprises and cooperatively run income-generating projects to provide employment and money. We registered them as a youth group with the Ministry of Gender and Social Services and with the Jua Kali Association of Embu and then paid for training and group loans and savings with Care Kenya. Successful local enterprises have included a car wash, bicycle repairs and community clear up gangs.

The purchase of a power washer and large water storage tank in November 2014 greatly benefited the business. with a fast turnaround, more clients and more money.

All profits from the car wash are invested in the group savings account and used to provide loans to allow members to start up their own businesses in the future where possible. The young people save as little as 5 Kenyan shillings a day. As an example of its impact, by the end of 2013 one of the boys had managed to save up 7,000ksh and he bought a tool box kit to work as a mechanic and managed to get a job as a turn boy with one of the lorry owners in Embu and begin earning an income.

In 2012 we had also bought the boys an interlocking brick making machine so they can put their efforts into making the bricks which they can sell at very good prices.

Volunteering – teaching non-examinable subjects such as music, sport, arts and running extra-curricular clubs and providing small group reading lessons, mentoring and group therapy work. Note that this position will require a DBS check and some evidence and experience of working with children.

The following short video tells the experience of a group of students from Oxford Brookes University as they travel around Kenya on their field trip, part of their time was spent in Embu.

The group now plan to develop their marketing and promotion to attract more clients, particularly local taxi drivers and ‘saccos’ (matatu associations). They have already gained customers from the neighbouring Kenya Power offices and plan to promote the car wash to other local businesses and organisations. As word gets around about the project and with the improved service they are now able to offer, the group hope to increase their average of clients each day and grow their customer base further. Profit from the business is shared among the group, providing members with an income. As the group increases their business they hope to be able to reinvest in additional equipment and do further promotion in future.

Emphasising the social enterprise aspect of the business should help the group to attract more customers since the work of Moving Mountains in Embu is well known and respected. Our Black Cats sports and rehabilitation programme and Embu Rescue Centre for Street Children, which form the basis for the Rescue Centre Youth Group, have been operating in Embu since 2005/06 and are integral elements in the life of the town.

Our support for the local schools in Embu through construction and renovation projects, provision of volunteers, youth and educational opportunities and ongoing management support has also contributed to our reputation as a key development actor in Embu.