The Acorns

Every child who arrives at CGH carries a mighty oak within them.

They come from the slums of Nairobi — orphaned, abandoned, rescued from the streets. They arrive with nothing but themselves. That is always enough.

From the Garden

They grew up here.
Now they are growing others.

The truest measure of Children's Garden Home is not found in the children who are here today — it is found in the ones who left. Who went to university, took up careers, started families, and then turned around and came back. Not because they had to. Because this is home.

CGH Alumni · Teacher, International School of Kenya

Stanley Kitili

Stanley arrived at Children's Garden Home in 2003, when he was seven years old. His mother could not afford to pay his school fees or provide for his basic needs. There was nowhere else for him to go.

CGH gave him food, a bed, an education, and a family. He worked hard through primary and secondary school, finishing his KCSE in 2014. He went on to earn a diploma from Kenyatta University — sponsored by a donor who believed in him — and returned to CGH as a volunteer teacher while he studied.

Today, Stanley teaches at the International School of Kenya. He is married and has a child of his own.

"Children's Garden has been my home since I was seven years old. When I joined, I started getting the basic needs I wasn't getting — food, school every day. That was a really good opportunity for me to start growing."
CGH Alumni · BA Economics, University of Nairobi · Volunteer Mentor

Job Wanjala

Job was rescued by Children's Garden Home in 2003 — one of the earliest children to come through the gate. He grew up in a difficult environment where his parents could not afford to send him to school or provide even basic needs.

CGH supported his education from secondary school onward. Job cherished the opportunity and worked hard. In 2010, he graduated from the University of Nairobi with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. He now returns to CGH regularly as a volunteer — providing tuition for secondary students and motivating the younger children to aim high.

"I'm grateful to Children's Garden Home. I return to give tuition to the secondary pupils and to motivate the children to work hard and aim high."
Phanise Mwango — CGH Alumni, 2018
CGH Alumni · College Graduate · Now married, living in the UK

Phanise Mwango

Phanise's father died when she was just a few weeks old. After her mother remarried, her stepfather abused her and she ran away. She found her way to Children's Garden Home in 2005 and grew up within its walls — discovering her talents, building her confidence, and finding a family in Moses, Sylvia, and the hundreds of children around her.

A Singapore donor, Ms Vivienne Foo, sponsored Phanise through her college education. In 2018, she returned to CGH as a volunteer teacher — giving back to the younger brothers and sisters now walking the path she once walked.

"If not for CGH, I would not have gone to school, grew up under the love and care of Daddy Moses and Mum Sylvia, have so many brothers and sisters, unearthed my talents and be a confident person today. I grew up in CGH since 2005 so this is where my home truly is."

Growing Now

These are the children your gift tends.

Today, over 400 children call CGH home — 250 living within the compound, and 170 day scholars from the surrounding slum communities who come for school and a hot meal. Each one has a story. Each one is an acorn. Here are a few.

Jaden Omondi — CGH

Jaden Omondi

Jaden was a baby when Moses rescued him at a nearby river — his mentally ill mother had been dipping him in the water. Moses called the police and brought baby Jaden into CGH. For two weeks, Jaden would not speak. Then, slowly, under the care and warmth of the CGH family, something began to open. He is now a happy boy, attending lower primary class.

Morgan Ng'ang'a — CGH

Morgan Ng'ang'a

Morgan was abandoned by his mother at birth. A good Samaritan found him on the street and brought him to Children's Garden Home. Morgan may never know who his biological parents are — but he has never been without parents. Moses and Sylvia are Daddy and Mum. The hundreds of children around him are his brothers and sisters. He is growing up knowing exactly where he belongs.

James Asura — CGH

James Asura

James was three years old when he was knocked over by a motorbike in the slum. His life was saved at Kenyatta Hospital — but no one came to claim him for nearly two years. The hospital eventually contacted Children's Garden Home. James arrived as a lost little boy. He now has a home he can call his own, parents who love him, and a big family who will always show up for him.

Alvan Kivogo — CGH

Alvan Kivogo

Alvan remembers what it was like to be a street boy in Nairobi — always hungry, looking for somewhere to sleep, afraid of the bigger boys who bullied the smaller ones. Daddy Moses found him and brought him to CGH. Alvan discovered football, acrobatics, and dance. He finished school and is now working. The street boy became a young man who knows his own worth.

Ernest Mungai — CGH

Ernest Mungai

Ernest tops his class every year. He is curious, reads widely, and asks questions that surprise even his teachers. He also volunteers as a first aider for the other children — because, he says, caring for others is what a doctor does, and that is what he intends to become. A doctor who treats people for free. He is working toward it, one exam at a time.

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400+ children.
400+ stories.

Each one an acorn. Each one a mighty oak in the making. Your gift tends this garden every single month.

Children studying at CGH — Nairobi, Kenya
Children learning at Children's Garden Home & School — Nairobi, Kenya

What Grows in This Garden

These children have nothing.
And they give everything.

Despite material hardship, the children of CGH have shown what is possible when a child is given love, stability, and the freedom to discover who they are.

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Traditional Dance Champions

CGH's traditional dance team are Kenya Primary School category champions — a title defended with pride across multiple years. Their dances draw from the rich diversity of Kenya's tribal heritage, performed by children who carry multiple cultures within them.

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Drama on the World Stage

In 2009, the CGH drama team performed at the Stockholm Opera House in Sweden — moving an audience of 300 to tears and drawing international attention to the children of Nairobi's slums. It remains one of the proudest moments in the home's history.

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Football — Barefoot and Winning

The children play football barefoot. They cannot afford boots. They win anyway. The girls' team are defending champions of the Dagoretti District. The boys' team placed second in the Nairobi Youth Football Inter-School Competition. The bare feet make no difference — the heart does.

See the Garden

Four children. Four stories. One garden.

Ernest, Alvan, Sharon and Stella — in their own words.

Become a Gardener

Every gardener makes a difference.

Monthly giving is the most powerful thing you can do for these children. It provides the certainty that Moses and Sylvia need to plan, to feed, to teach — and to never turn a child away.

Become a Monthly Gardener