BELONGING BEYOND BORDERS
By Victoria Kamau, General Manager, Kickstart Kids International
When I first heard the phrase “Everyone belongs” as the theme for this year’s Australia Harmony Week, it felt both simple and profound.
From Kenya, that message feels deeply familiar. Here, belonging is not a slogan. It is family. It is neighbours who show up. It is aunties and grandparents who step in when a parent is overwhelmed. It is a community built on shared responsibility. And when belonging is strong, children thrive.
I grew up in a community where doors were rarely closed. If one household struggled, others quietly stepped in. No child belonged to just one family; they belonged to the community. That sense of shared responsibility shaped how I understand protection and care today.
Belonging Begins in Family
At Kickstart Kids International and through our work at the Olturoto Children’s Village, we have seen how easily belonging can be shaken when families face economic pressure, illness, or isolation.
Children do not want separation, and families do not want to be replaced. They want support. That is why we no longer provide institutional care. We strengthen families because children grow up best in families, not institutions.
Through counselling, after-school support, and livelihood strengthening, we help caregivers build stable homes where children feel safe and secure. Belonging begins in the family.
Partnership Rooted in Shared Values
Kickstart Kids International’s partnership with Little Zaks Academy and our other Australian-based (individual) funders is grounded in a shared belief: every child deserves the best start in life.
In Australia, Little Zaks Academy centres nurture children’s confidence and curiosity in safe learning environments. In Kenya, we work to ensure children experience that same foundation within their own families and communities. While these contexts are different, we share a similar aspiration.
What makes this partnership meaningful is that it is built on connection – Australian families standing with Kenyan families, not out of pity, but solidarity. Together, we are investing in stability, dignity, and belonging.
Belonging is Protection
Child protection is often misunderstood as removal. In reality, it begins much earlier. It begins when a caregiver receives support before stress becomes a crisis.
It begins when a child feels safe returning home after school.
It begins when communities strengthen families rather than separate them.
Belonging keeps children safe. When children feel they truly fit in with their family and community, they develop greater confidence, strength, and hope for the future.
Harmony Week is all about celebrating inclusion and diversity in Australia. Here in Kenya, we see the same thing: when families are strong and supported, children flourish.
Belonging might look a bit different depending on where you are in the world, but its positive impact is something everyone can feel.