NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 30 – At Manasseh Children’s Home in Roysambu, as the year drew to a close, Her Excellency Dr. Joyce Kithure delivered a message that reframed how Kenyans view care for vulnerable children, not as charity, but as an essential pillar of nation-building.
Speaking during a visit organised by the SaVE Communities Initiative on December 30, Dr Kithure emphasised that Kenya’s future stability and leadership are being shaped far beyond formal classrooms and traditional homes.
Instead, she said, children’s homes and caregiving institutions are quietly laying the foundation for peace, progress, and responsible citizenship.
“This occasion speaks not to one place alone, but to the collective Kenyan commitment to protect, mentor, and uplift our children, who remain the foundation of our future,” she told caregivers, volunteers, and community members gathered at the home.
Her remarks placed children at the heart of Kenya’s long-term development agenda, underscoring that investing in young lives is inseparable from building a cohesive and resilient nation.
“Meaningful development begins with investing in children,” Dr. Kithure said, noting that nurturing children today determines the quality of leadership and values Kenya will uphold tomorrow.
The visit also served as recognition of the often-unseen labour carried out by caregivers and institutions working with vulnerable children.
Across the country, she observed, families, faith institutions, and community groups continue to step in where support is most needed, driven not by obligation but compassion.
“I wish to sincerely acknowledge and honour caregivers, founders of children’s homes, foster parents, volunteers, donors and partners who selflessly give their time, resources and love to such children,” she said, adding that their work strengthens communities and shapes the nation’s destiny.
As the festive season encourages reflection and generosity, Dr. Kithure urged Kenyans to view care for vulnerable children as a shared responsibility.
She praised caregivers for shaping character and restoring hope, describing their contribution in unequivocal terms: “Your work is nation-building in its truest form, and Kenya is better because of your service.”
Her message resonated as a call to action, one that challenges the country to see children’s homes not as places of last resort, but as spaces where Kenya’s future is being deliberately and compassionately built.
Zimmerman Manase Children’s Home looks after 44 children, with 24 residing at the facility,13 girls and 11 boys. The youngest child in the home is only one year old. In addition to those living on-site, the home extends support to 20 children living off-site, helping them access the care and programs they need to thrive.
