Kickstart Kids International

Kickstart Kids International
Formation 2008
Type International charity
Headquarters Australia Sydney, Australia
Location
  • Australia, Kenya.
Founder
 James Woodward,
Website www.kickstartkidsinternational.com

Kickstart Kids International is an Australian charitable organisation working with impoverished communities in sustainable ways to kickstart the lives of orphans and vulnerable children.

History

Kickstart Kids International was founded in 2007 to support the establishment of Familia Moja Children’s Home in Kenya, which is now home to over 30 children.[1] In 2011, a local Kenyan Non Government Organisation was formed to cover the financial contribution previously provided by Kickstart and has subsequently increased the number of children being cared for. This is a huge achievement towards kickstarting the lives of these beautiful children.[2]

Kickstart’s success with Familia Moja is now being leveraged through the construction of a second Kenyan children’s centre, Olturoto Children’s Village. This initiative is striving to achieve further local empowerment through financial and environmental sustainability.[3]

Olturoto Children's Village in Kenya

Kickstart Kids International has worked on three major projects in Kenya, each with a focus on development. The primary goal is to provide support to local communities that will help them to help themselves. Kickstart’s success with Familia Moja is now being leveraged through the construction of a second Kenyan children’s centre, Olturoto Children’s Village in partnership with a local Kenyan NGO called Nanga Org. It is our shared vision to build an environmentally and financially sustainable home for orphaned and vulnerable children on a 10-acre plot of land purchased in the town of Olturoto in Kenya.[4]

Achievements to date

Kickstart’s success with Familia Moja is now being leveraged through the construction of a second Kenyan children’s centre, Olturoto Children’s Village in partnership with a local Kenyan NGO called Nanga Org. It is our shared vision to build an environmentally and financially sustainable home for orphaned and vulnerable children on a 10-acre plot of land purchased in the town of Olturoto in Kenya.[5]

Financial sustainability: Eight acres of Olturoto Children’s Village have been devoted to a commercial farming operation which employs nine local workers. Produce is currently being exported to supermarkets in the UK at a profit. Under a ‘profit for purpose’ model, these profits will be allocated to covering the cost of running the homes.[6]

Environmental sustainability: We have invested in wind and solar renewable energy solutions which have achieved net zero carbon emissions, water requirements are sourced on site, waste is treated on site, and we have net positive food production.

Achievement of these sustainability goals is central to our long term objective to empower the local community to run Olturoto Children’s Village themselves without the need for international assistance.

Creating a family environment

The first house, named Grace, is currently under construction with three more houses to follow later in 2013. Each house will accommodate eight children with live-in ‘house parents’. Kickstart believes that the best environment for a child to grow up in is a true family environment. Working with social workers and other NGOs, Olturoto Children’s Village will attempt to resettle the children, either with their own families, or through monitored foster care. For these children, Olturoto Children’s Village will serve as a half-way home. Understandably, not all children are able to be resettled. Olturoto Children’s Village will serve as a permanent home for these special kids.

References

  1. ↑ Green, Stephen, 2009, Good Value: Reflections on money, morality, and an uncertain world, Penguin Books, London.
  2. ↑ Global Compact International Yearbook 2010’ produced by the United Nations in recognition for work towards the millennium development goals with government agencies in both Australia and Kenya. pgs 132 and 134
  3. ↑ "Kickstart Kids International General Appeal —". Givenow.com.au. Retrieved 2015-10-17.
  4. ↑ "Kickstart Kids International". Gofundraise. Retrieved 2015-10-17.
  5. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20130630083505/http://kickstartkidsinternational.com/projects/. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20130630082805/http://kickstartkidsinternational.com/news/. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013. Missing or empty |title= (help)
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