Swahili (East Africa) 
Dutch (nl-NL) 
English (United Kingdom) 
We help children return home, step by step
Through shelter, guidance, education and support for families, we create sustainable solutions for a better future.
PBI status
Donor pledge
Zero overhead
What we do
Mwanzo is a small Dutch foundation with one very concrete purpose: making sure The Ark Children's Home in Ngoliba, Kenya can keep running every single day. Nothing more, nothing less — but that one purpose we pursue with full dedication.
Our role: bridge between donor and child
The Ark takes in children who have nowhere else to go. Orphans, children from vulnerable families, children in crisis. Caroline and her team do the direct work: shelter, care, education, reintegration. We make sure they can keep doing that.
Mwanzo raises funds in the Netherlands and channels them directly into The Ark's operational costs. Food, clean water, school fees, medical care, and salaries for the staff who are there for the children around the clock.
The empowerment programme: ready for the world
Many children at The Ark have been through difficult things. Poverty, loss, trauma. The goal of The Ark is for them to return to their own family or community as soon as possible — but how do you make sure that return truly succeeds?
That is exactly the question we asked ourselves. Together with Caroline and her team, and with thirty participants from the wider community — school principals, social workers, village elders, pastors, and young people who grew up in children's homes themselves — we organised a first empowerment conference in 2025.
We drew on proven international models, including the Circle of Courage (Belonging, Mastery, Independence, Generosity) and the Positive Youth Development framework, and translated them together into the Kenyan context. The outcome? A concrete set of workshops — for children, parents, and the broader community — focused on self-confidence, identity, future perspective, and life skills.
The programme is still developing, but the foundation has been laid. The next step: a project team from the community itself that will further develop and roll out the workshops. We continue from where we left off.
Working visits: involvement with our own eyes
Two to three times a year, we travel — at our own expense — to The Ark. Not to take over the work, but to be present, to learn, to connect and to build together. We meet with staff, children, parents and local partners.
We see first-hand what is needed and what is already going well.
That presence makes a difference. For the children, but also for us — it keeps our involvement concrete, honest and personal.
What we don't do
Transparency is not an afterthought for us. That's why we are equally honest about where our limits lie:
We don't send paid aid workers or Western volunteers to Kenya. We believe The Ark knows best what the children need. Our trust lies with Caroline and her team.
We don't keep money back for overhead. Every euro donated goes directly to The Ark, one for one. Mwanzo's own running costs — website, administration, banking — are covered separately by its founders.
We don't fund large Western aid structures or intermediaries. Direct line: from you to The Ark.
How do we know things are going well?
We stay in close contact with The Ark: regular video calls, photos, updates and financial reports. What happens with your contribution is reflected in our newsletters and annual reports — always publicly available.
Want to know how you can contribute?
Concrete projects we have funded
We believe in tangible help. Here are examples of what your contribution has already made possible:
The shamba — With a loan, we helped The Ark lease agricultural land and purchase a water pump, seeds and fertiliser. The land now yields three harvests a year: maize, beans and vegetables. The produce partly covers the children's food needs and generates additional income for The Ark.
Education — We fund school fees for children who would otherwise be left behind, from primary school through to technical colleges and secondary education.
Emergency support — When a roof needs repairing, a child falls ill, or there is a sudden surge in need — we are there to act quickly.
Independence for mothers — Together with a local entrepreneur, we help mothers living on the street build their own income: through learning to sew or starting a small flour trade. Two sewing machines, ten bags of flour as seed capital — and hope for an entire family.
A shamba for The Ark
Shamba is Swahili for a farm, or rather, a piece of land where you can grow vegetables.
It actually started in 2022. At that time, we had conceived a plan to help The Ark become more self-sufficient. With a loan, we helped lease a piece of land and purchase a water pump and hoses, seeds for corn and beans, fertiliser, and hire labour. The goal was to earn some money for The Ark.
The plan has been very successful: we now harvest different crops three times a year, we have some cows, goats and even pigs, and this provides food, milk and income for The Ark.
A shamba for the Ark
Schoolfees, uniforms and school materials
Every child should go to school!
It seems obvious, but it really isn't. Primary school in Kenya is “free”, but many parents still can't afford the costs.
You need a school uniform, school books and stationery. You also have to pay for school meals (the children are at school from 7.30 am to 4 pm!).
Over the past five years, school costs have increased by about six times. That's why we are particularly proud that all the children from The Ark go to school.
In 2024, De Globetrotter Primary School in Katendrecht raised enough money through a sponsorship campaign to pay the school fees for a whole year for all the children from The Ark!
A new kitchen The Ark
One of the things we look at with Mwanzo is safety. And especially where it is not safe.
This also applies to the kitchen. They cook with wood and gas, but the exhaust pipes of the wood-burning stove were completely rotten due to the heat. As a result, the cooks were surrounded by smoke all day long. Food was cut on a wooden table.
In short, a new kitchen was urgently needed. With this project, we financed a new building, new drain pipes, a freezer, a stainless steel table and other kitchen equipment.
A safe kitchen for the Ark
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Mwanzo Foundation
About Mwanzo
Mwanzo was founded in 2023 and has an ANBI status. This means that it is officially recognised by the Dutch Tax authorities as a Public Benefit Organisation. Do you want to know how this benefits you? Look at PBO
Mwanzo has joined Donateursbelangen Look here to see how this benefits you.