Dickson Children Center (DCC) was founded in August 2004 by Matheka Munyasya (Kenyan) and his Dutch wife Ria. The center is named after Matheka's father Dickson, who died in the tribal conflict in 1998, and after Ria's late father, Dick.
The center provided a home for homeless and homeless children. A large proportion of these children had been rejected, abused or orphaned or ended up on the street. In 2015 we switched to foster care, according to the revised Charitable Children Institutions (CCI) policies. We rented 3 houses some distance from each other near Mombasa, where foster parents are caring for 6-8 children so that they can form a family together. We have ensured that brothers and sisters are not separated. In addition, several children have been placed with family members such as an uncle or aunt or grandmother. We also have several foster families, each of which has 2 children in their own family. With this we fulfill our our vision “to give every child a family”. We are so grateful that we can partner with the Lord God, who "places the lonely in families". We currently have 31 children in this program.
Our foster parents are recruited and trained in the basic understanding of parenting and foster care. They receive support from our social worker, project coordinator and manager of S2S Int. They are also part of a foster parent group, where they can support each other and learn from each other.
The children receive rehabilitation and counseling and they go to school. They are brought up with Biblical principles. During their stay, we contact the parents or relatives of the children and we work on family relationships. During the holidays the children are visiting their family if possible. This strengthens the family bond and makes them aware of where they come from. It is important that when the children leave the center they have as much as possible good family relationships to fall back on.
After finishing primary school, most children go to secondary school; this is usually a boarding school, because it is cheaper than travelling back and forth. During the holidays these boys and girls go to family members or other relatives where possible. They also come back for reporting and receive personal guidance. After that, they may go to vocational training or, depending on their final exam results, go to university. They then live in rooms in the neighbourhood and receive guidance from our Social Workers. After the training, we supervise the young adults for 1 to 2 years, depending on the degree of independence and finding work.
Guidance and counselling
The foster parents supervise the children under their care. Our social worker comes every 2 weeks to guide the foster parents and give advice and talk to the children if there are problems. Together they help the children process their past, gain confidence and focus on their future. The children receive a Christian education. On Sunday, the youngest children attend Sunday school. The teenagers go to teenage classes. Every evening there is an evening devotion with singing, reading the Bible and prayer. During the holidays, various activities are organized such as camps, courses, sports competitions, games, singing and dancing exercises and trips to the beach or to sights.
Association of Charitable Children Institutions of Kenya (ACCIK)
Dickson Children Centre is affiliated with the ACCIK. This is an umbrella body that represents the interests of all affiliated children's homes in Kenya. Matheka has been a board member of the National Executive Board for a few years and has been a representative of all children's homes in the Coast Province.
