Why we don't visit orphanages

Every year, well-meaning groups from North America ask to spend a day at a children's home. We say no, and we explain why, because the reasons matter more than the rule.

Short visits by rotating strangers are harmful to children who have already lost stable adults. Demand for visits creates demand for institutions, and the international child-protection consensus, which Kenya's own government shares, is to keep children in families rather than homes. A visitor cannot vet a home in an afternoon.

What we do instead

• Projects chosen by the host community and led by its own staff
• Work alongside Kenyan students and adults, never in place of local labour
• No unskilled roles with children; teachers teach, builders build
• A written safeguarding policy you can read before you book
• Time with partner congregations and the programs they already run

The best service a visitor can offer is to show up where they are invited, do what they are asked, and come back.