Makimei Children’s Home was founded in response to the pressing need for assistance to orphans and vulnerable children.
Our journey began when we welcomed our first child, Rachael, who is now a director of our home. Soon after, we had two children from the local community whose parents succumbed to the HIV/AID epidemic, and then a baby who was anonymously abandoned at our door. We quickly became established as one of the few sanctuaries in Nairobi willing to give a home to abandoned and orphaned babies.
Today, we have over 100 children in our care – all of whom call Makimei their home.
We are driven by a commitment to replace suffering with love. With open hearts and a vision for our children’s future, we provide a loving and stable home for all children who join the Makimei family circle.
YEARS OF CARE
We provide a home for abandoned and orphaned children ensuring a future where they are safe, loved and learning.
Help each child reach their full potential. We look at the growth of the whole child - emotional, physical, and spiritual - supported by a rigorous focus on learning.
Faith – We are all God’s people. Serving humanity is serving God.
Integrity – We believe in transparency, honesty and in the power of trust in all that we do.
Learning – All of us from the adults to high school students to our babies are curious and growing.
Compassion – We care deeply about our home, our community, our country and the world. We try to approach even the most challenging situations with compassion and empathy.
We provide a home for abandoned and orphaned children ensuring a future where they are safe, loved and learning.
Help each child reach their full potential. We look at the growth of the whole child emotional, physical, and spiritual supported by a rigorous focus on learning.
A quality education is critical, enabling our children to become responsible citizens who reach their full potential and enjoy a successful future.
Faith – We are all God’s people. Serving humanity is serving God.
Integrity – We believe in transparency, honesty and in the power of trust in all that we do.
Learning – All of us from the adults to high school students to our babies are curious and growing.
Compassion – We care deeply about our home, our community, our country and the world. We try to approach even the most challenging situations with compassion and empathy.
Mama Margaret started her career as a civil servant in Nairobi. After many years of caring for abandoned babies in her own home, she officially opened Makimei Children’s home in 2006, moving location four times before arriving at the Gitaru site. Over the past two decades, Mama Margaret has been a tireless champion and advocate for the children she serves. She strongly believes in the power of education, ensuring that each Makimei child attends private school.
Mama Margaret is an active and respected member of the Nairobi community – working with her neighbors, local businesses, and large corporations to provide healthcare, quality food and supplies for the Home.
Her belief that Makimei is a home – and that children and staff are all family – has created an atmosphere of love and belonging. Mama Margaret’s vision for a bright future means that she leads from the front, taking on audacious goals like the design and construction of the new Makimei building.
Rachael was taken in when she was barely one and a half years old by Mama Margaret – who, already a mother of four, put a lien on her home to pay for Rachael’s many surgeries and medical needs. Rachael was determined to realise her dreams despite the many challenges she faced and secured herself a place at university, where she graduated with First Class Honours. She decided to give back to the community by dedicating her life to serve the children.
Today – as the first child to be rescued by Mama Margaret – Rachael is a Director of the Home. She is responsible for staffing, medical appointments, volunteers, school meetings, community fundraising as well as providing a nighttime home and care for the youngest babies.
Rachael’s energy, commitment and love for the children shines through in everything she does.
John joined the Makimei management team after a career in construction and the education sector.
Whether he’s cutting the children’s hair, driving them to school, fixing the plumbing or reading bedtime stories, he is an indispensable part of the management team – running day-to-day activities and ensuring the home runs efficiently and happily from dawn until night.
Aside from his great organizational skills, John’s powerful positivity and endless energy bring joy and laughter to the home.