Kickstart believes that the best environment for a child to grow up in is a true family environment. The first of four houses has been completed with the remaining three under construction. Each of these four houses will accommodate one matron and eight children. Working in partnership with international charity Retrak, Olturoto Children’s Village will prioritise resettlement of children, either with their own families, or through monitored foster care. 

Kickstart’s long term objective at Olturoto Children’s Village is to empower Nanga Org and the local community to run Olturoto Children’s Village themselves without the need for international assistance. To enable the achievement of this long term objective, a ‘profit for purpose’ commercial farming operation has been established as part of the Olturoto Children’s Village site, providing employment for nine local Kenyans. Profits generated from the farm are allocated to cover the cost of running the homes at Olturoto Children’s Village. Currently,  farming produce is being profitably exported from Olturoto Children’s Village to supermarkets in the UK.

 To achieve genuine sustainability, environmental factors must be taken into account. Kickstart and Nanga have identified three environmental focus areas being energy, food and water.

• Energy – A comprehensive renewable energy program has been implemented, utilising wind and solar technology. Cooking on site for the children and staff (including farm staff) uses Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves approved clean gasification processes.
• Water – All water requirements, for both consumption and farming purposes, are sourced, treated and recycled onsite (including waste water).
• Food – With net positive food production, the children can enjoy a balanced diet, with the vast majority of produce still being available for commercial export.

Olturoto Olturoto Children’s Village (OCV) opened on 21 June 2014. OCV currently supports a total of 26 orphaned and vulnerable children through our in-reach and out-reach programmes. For more information, please visit www.olturotochildrensvillage.org.