Riandu Children's Home
Riandu is a small community situated about 150 km from Nairobi in Eastern Province near to Siakago. It is an area plagued by poverty and destitution, with many contributing factors. It is also an area which continues to suffer from a lack of rain hence crops fail year after year, leaving little to eat or to sell. When the rain does come it has come to devastating effect, wiping out crops through flooding.
With an HIV infection rate of 15% this area has been hit hard with whole generations wiped out and hundreds of children left orphaned with no family, no food, no shelter, no education and no future. In fact, it simply ensures that, without intervention, they are to continue in desperate poverty and destitution.
However, there are some glimpses of hope. In 2002 a local welfare group of committed and passionate people approached Vision Africa about setting up a Children's home. We had already assisted this group establish a small local school, which provided an excellent start to the work there.
With funding from donors in the UK we constructed a children's home to provide the essential shelter, care and protection for orphans and vulnerable children. Riandu opened its doors to the first 30 children in July 2004 supported in part by the Italian Children's charity 'Aiutare i bambini' who sponsored a group of children. Nowadays, the home is almost at its full capacity of 100 children who are cared for by administrator Henry and his caring team of staff.
Many of the children came to the Home without shoes, scantily clad, no personal belongings. These children, at all ages, have nothing. Can you imagine what it means for a child to have NOTHING? For some we do not know when they were born, or who one or both of their parents were. Through our sponsorship programme, we are able to take in these children and ensure they are clothed, fed, attend school and are cared for as part of the Riandu family.
In 2007, the home started up its “Home Farm” project. As well as having a large 14 acre shamba which is being cultivated and planted with fruit and vegetables for consumption and sale, they are now expanding into livestock. Thanks to donations from various sources, the project now has cows and goats and will shortly be purchasing chicks for breeding. The income generated by this project will supplement the funds raised through sponsorship and allow Riandu Children’s Home to continue the excellent work it does in caring for the children in the local area who have no other hope.
We currently require sponsors for some of the children at this home. If you would like to sponsor a child at a cost of £16 per month or an annual fee of £192, please visit our sponsorship page to see how you can help.
If you would like more information about this project or for details on how you can support the home with a donation, please contact us using our contact form, or by email to
To make a general donation to our work please click the button below to give securely on-line by credit or debit card.
Updated January 2008