The Child Protection program

Grapesyard Baby Care Center is a drop-in child protection haven targeting babies whose mothers are working in the Dandora garbage dumping site. The overall objective of the program is to safeguard the health of babies by keeping them away from garbage dump where all manner of industrial and domestic waste is dumped.

Instead of caring babies in the dumping site each morning, mothers drop off their children at the center and proceed to work. They return at 4pm to take them home.

Child care services is offered by trained caregivers that include Social Worker, Nurse and Nannies. Care services include babysitting, balanced diet and basic healthcare.

Beneficiary children are meticulously chosen based on set criteria. One, mother must be working in the garbage dump site; two, the child must be less than or 2 years old and three, the nutritional needs of the child.

Children are cared for at the centre until age three, when they are excited and are admitted into Grapesyard Education Centre to begin early child development education (kindergarten) and for continued care and support under child sponsorship program. Sponsorship program ensures the child completes kindergarten and primary school education.

The mothers whose babies are in the centre are also sensitized on basic parenting skills to make them better care givers. They are also encouraged to venture into income generating activity that would provide alternative source of income away from garbage site.

Dandora garbage dumping site is Nairobi’s only dumping site. The landfill directly puts food on the table for an estimated 3,000 families.

Each morning women, men and children descend into the garbage to scavenge for plastic, metal and other discarded valuables for sale.

 Women carry along their babies and strap them on their back or drop them down to play as they continue with work. This is because of the inability to hire baby seater or simply because of ignorance of the dangers of the garbage smoldering waste. This exposes children to dumpsite toxic air and make them suffer respiratory diseases often with fatality consequence.