A team from Care for Children, led by Founder and Executive Director, Robert Glover OBE, have just returned from a significant trip to Kenya and Zambia, where they met with high-level government officials to explore establishing a new Regional Hub in Africa.
The trip was a big part of exploring Care for Children’s vision to see children across the globe moved out of institutions and into loving families. With millions of children in Africa still growing up in institutional care, the continent remains one of the most pressing frontiers for family-based child welfare reform.
In Kenya, the team met with Ms. Hanna Wendot Cheptumo, Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage; Ms. Mary Mbuga, Director of Children Services - Alternative Family Care and Deputy to the Secretary of Children Services; and Senator Kathuri Murungi, Deputy Speaker of the Kenyan Senate. These strategic meetings focused on how Care for Children could support Kenya’s growing efforts to strengthen alternative family care systems and shape national child welfare policy.
In Zambia, the team held discussions with officials at the Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare, including Minister Mwamba, who expressed deep appreciation for Care for Children’s mission and recognised the urgent need to transition children from institutional care into family-based settings. The Zambian government showed openness to collaboration, making this a promising opportunity for long-term partnership and impact.
"I sensed a genuine openness and readiness to collaborate. These meetings affirmed that there is a meaningful opportunity to support and align with national efforts to reform childcare systems for the benefit of vulnerable children and families."
Care for Children’s vision for the Africa Hub is ambitious: to influence child welfare policy across multiple nations, train local social welfare teams, and develop culturally appropriate models of family-based care. The goal is not only to replicate the success seen in Asia but to build solutions that are deeply rooted in African context and leadership.
The potential impact is enormous. Establishing a Regional Hub would allow Care for Children to scale support across Africa, equipping governments and communities to transform the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable children - children who, like every child, deserve the love and security of a family.
Care for Children will continue to build on the momentum from this trip and explore next steps with partners and government leaders. We encourage you to follow this unfolding story and support us in what could be one of the most transformative expansions in the charity’s history.
