Koinonia Old Beneficiaries Welfare Association and Kenya Society of Careleavers report on their annual Careleavers Conference that took place on December 7th, 2013 at the Shalom House, Dagoretti Corner. One hundred and fifty youth over the age of 18 who had exited care were invited to participate in the conference, and a steering committee of youth organized and facilitated the conference, empowering the youth and encouraging their participation. The conference was organized with the purpose of exploring and vocalizing issues surrounding care institutions, specifically in relation to reintegration, the topic of choice for the care-leavers. The objective of the conference was to empower the youth and improve the admission and discharge processes, and care, for youth entering and leaving residential care homes. The conference was funded by various organizations including: KOBWA, KESCA, ABCD, and other stakeholders.
The care-leavers were encouraged to discuss their experiences on entering care institutions, their stay and exit, and the support they received, if any. Stories of admission and exit in and out of the residential care homes were of particular interest and the stories recounted were a cause for concern. The care-leavers shared stories of captivity, unfairness, and discrimination in institutions. They also recalled their difficult situations after leaving institutions. The individuals were very often unprepared emotionally and financially for living on their own and found themselves in problematic circumstances.
The lack of proper preparation for independent living is one of the main concerns of care-leavers. There is a great need, therefore, for proper guidelines and support both emotionally and psychologically as well as financially for children transitioning out of institutionalized care. This significant gap in care was the driving force behind this conference. The conference concluded with recommendations to the institutions themselves as well as to organizations, donors, and the government. Recommendations emerging from this conference included: development of programs for youth exiting care; efforts made to enforce existing policies and guidelines regarding the exit from care; support in acquiring legal documents for youth (i.e. birth certificates and national identity cards); development of a database of all care-leavers; creation of job and education opportunities for care-leavers; use of care plans in institutions; recognition of a child’s ethnic and cultural background in institutions; trainings for, and proper vetting of, care providers; emotional and social support for children in institutions; counseling during the reintegration process; and more.
