A place of hope, built on love
Raha Kids was founded on a simple conviction: a boy’s difficult beginning should never determine his future. Here is why we exist, what we believe, and where we are going.
Life on the streets steals childhoods
Children arrive on Nairobi’s streets after losing parents, escaping violence, or leaving homes crushed by extreme poverty. Some are brought to care programs by relatives who can no longer provide; others survive entirely alone.
On the streets, boys face hunger, illness, exploitation and abuse. They survive through begging, collecting waste, washing vehicles or hauling goods in markets — work that pays almost nothing and exposes them to further harm. In 2007, an estimated 250,000–300,000 children were living or working on Kenya’s streets, more than 60,000 of them in Nairobi. The figures are historical, but they show how longstanding and serious this crisis is.
Raha Kids’ answer
Replace the uncertainty of street life with consistent care, belonging, structure and opportunity — and see every boy not as a problem to be managed, but as a child with dignity, abilities and a future worth investing in.
“Raha” means joy
Our name is our promise: boys who have endured the hardest beginnings can still experience joy, safety, growth and hope.
Faith expressed as care
Raha Kids is part of the Coptic Mission’s wider service to vulnerable communities. Our Christian identity is not only religious instruction — it is a call to compassion, protection, encouragement and practical help.
Love in action
The boys should experience the love of Jesus Christ through the actions of everyone who cares for, teaches and serves them.
Character formed daily
“Train up a child in the way he should go…” (Proverbs 22:6). Education here includes honesty, responsibility, forgiveness, service and respect.
Faith woven into life
Following Deuteronomy 6:5–8, spiritual formation is part of the everyday environment in which the boys live, learn, play and grow.
From arrival to independence
A boy arrives — from the streets, from a guardian who can no longer cope, from crisis. He is received with dignity into a safe, stable home with food, a bed, healthcare and dependable adults.
Trust is rebuilt slowly, through routine, kindness and community. He learns that he belongs, that he is valued, and that the adults around him will still be there tomorrow.
Often after years of interrupted schooling, he returns to full-time education — literacy, numeracy, communication and problem-solving, through primary and middle school.
Football, acrobatics, drama, film, music, art and computers reveal gifts the streets never let him see — and rebuild confidence, teamwork and self-expression.
When he completes middle school, we seek sponsors for his next step — academic secondary school, vocational training or technical education — matched to his abilities and dreams.
One boy changed, many lives changed
For the child
A path away from the risks of street life toward safety, stability and opportunity — care and education that can change the whole direction of a life.
For families & communities
Support when poverty, illness or bereavement makes caring for a child impossible — and protection from exploitation, violence and crime.
For society
Boys who receive education, skills and stable support become capable adults who work, contribute, and build safe homes for their own future families.
The people around the boys
Transformation happens through relationships. These are the roles that surround every boy at Raha Kids.
House parents
Consistent, loving adults who make the residence a true home — meals, routines, bedtime, and someone who notices.
Teachers
Educators who help each boy catch up, keep up, and discover that he is capable of far more than he was told.
Chaplains & mentors
Guides who model the love of Christ and walk with the boys through questions, setbacks and growth.
Sponsors & friends
People like you — near and far — whose generosity funds meals, school fees, and each boy’s next step in life.