Kafaalah is defined as “the commitment to voluntarily take care of the maintenance, health, education and protection of a child, in the same way a parent would do for a child. This type of care arrangement does not sever the biological family bonds of the child or alter the descent lines for the sponsor family. Kafaalah is an Islamic mode of alternative childcare in which a person or family voluntarily commits himself/herself to sponsor and care for an orphan or any other child deprived of family care.
This form of care is recognized in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), Article 20. This data collection exercise was commissioned to assess the different types of Kafaalah care arrangements practiced by families and communities in Kilifi. It affirms that Kafaalah is a widely known and practiced form of care among the Muslim community in Kilifi County.
Over the years, Kenyan Coastal communities, have kept strong familial and communal ties that protect and care for children. This data collection exercise sought to understand the extent to which Kafaalah is known as a practice in Kilifi County by communities, the types of Kafaalah care being practiced, reasons for placement of children in Kafaalah, and the support provided for children placed in Kafaalah.
