Watu Wa Maana Childrens Centre, Ruiru, Kenya (43 Children)
Meet Director Wanjiru Kanyoni
In 2002, Director Wanjiru was called to minister to the street children of Ruiru. Starting with bible studies, sharing the gospel with the street children, she soon realized they also needed a home and founded the Center. With 18 children in two small rooms in a location owed by her parents, Watu came to be.
For the past two decades, Director Wanjiru has put her BA in Psychology to good use every day. Her goal is to rehabilitate and reintegrate these children, helping them to find God's purpose in their lives and fulfill it. Wanjiru ensures they study hard and get a solid education. She also reaches out to these children’s families, sharing the love of Christ.
Meet Communications Manager Catherine Wanjiku Mwari
Catherine Wanjiku Mwari has been part of Watu Wa Maana Children’s Centre since she was a baby. Having grown up in the home, she knows firsthand the love, care, and opportunities it provides to children. Today, she has come full circle, serving as an intern with Haven of Hope International as a Communications Officer while also supporting Watu Wa Maana with reception and administrative tasks. She loves being surrounded by the children, enjoying their laughter, unique personalities, and watching them learn and grow. To Catherine, the children are more than those she works alongside; they are her younger siblings, and she is grateful for the opportunity to give back to the home that helped raise her.
Catherine recently completed her Diploma in Business Administration and Management and hopes to continue her education by earning a degree while gaining experience in administration, management, and communications. She is passionate about sharing the stories of Watu Wa Maana through its monthly newsletter, highlighting the growth, achievements, and everyday moments that show how lives are being changed. Through these stories, she hopes supporters will see the lasting impact of their prayers, generosity, and encouragement. Catherine dreams of continuing to learn, exploring new places, and finding ways to make a positive difference in the lives of others, always remembering the home that helped shape who she is today.
Watu Wa Maana Center
“Watu wa maana,” Swahili meaning “very important people” is the overarching theme by which this residential children’s home operates. It is located in Ruiru, an industrial town approximately 20 miles northwest of Nairobi. Along with support from Haven of Hope International, Help the Least of These provides financial support to help with every day and special needs.
The majority of the children at the home have lost a parent (or both parents) ending up on the streets or under the care of abusive and neglectful family members. Along with the 36 children residing at the home, there are also 35 former Watu children in reintegrated into homes and still receive some support. Thirteen have aged out and are continuing their education to pursue their vocational paths through Futures of Hope program funding.
The Center staff includes a Manager/Social worker, a Chaplain/Administrator, a House mother, a cook and a tutor. Each member has professional certificates in their area of expertise. In addition, local university students also volunteer time with the children.
Education for Watu children is of the highest importance. During 2020, Haven of Hope was able to a provide critical technology package so their children could attend primary or secondary school online during the pandemic--laptops, wide angle webcams, projectors, cables, screens and internet connection. Being technology enabled allows not only education instruction, but also trauma-care training and tele-medicine resources now available to the orphanage.
Sustainability-minded, Watu raises chickens for food and to sell eggs to the community. In 2017, Watu installed shipping containers on the property and have been renting the space to merchants, providing Watu income to help pay education costs.
Wanjiru's vision is to have "Dream Center" that will provide adequate space for studying, along with an area for onsite vocational training. They have clearly outgrown the original structures.
How Your Giving Helps:
- Creates a Learning Lab at the church, offering educational resources and academic support for foster children
- A Playground where children can experience joy, play, and development. Help us bring play to the lives of these kids!
How You Can Help
Watu Wa Maana Children's Centre Updates
Catherine Wanjiku Mwari — Communication Manager
Stay connected with everything happening at Watu Wa Maana Children;s Centre. Read Catherine's latest update to see what's new.
OUR BLOGS ABOUT WATU WA MAANA
Watu Wa Maana: The Learning Lab Initiative for Very Important Futures
In Ruiru, Kenya, there is a children’s home with a name that speaks dignity over every child: Watu Wa Maana, which means “very important people.” For children who have known abandonment, poverty, trauma, or life on the streets, that name is more than a title. It is a message of…
From Chokora to Chosen
“Chokora,” they would say. When there is little chance for a meal, there is no chance for education, it is all about survival. And over time, he began to believe it. From a trauma-informed perspective, we understand that children like him are not choosing the streets-they are adapting to survive…
Building More Than Walls: Thank You to Our Pennsylvania Partners
At Haven of Hope International, we are deeply grateful for Men & Women of Action‘s Pennsylvania team, whose adoption of Watu Wa Maana in Kenya demonstrates what it means to invest in a home for the long term. Last year, the a team led by Pastor Dean Ramsey, Carlisle Church…
Back to School at Watu Wa Maana: Education as a Lifeline in Ruiru, Kenya
Just outside Nairobi, in the industrial town of Ruiru, there is a place where children who once slept on the streets are learning to carry something new: a backpack filled with possibility. Watu Wa Maana-Swahili for “very important people”-is more than a children’s home. It is a daily declaration that…
Hope Restored: Transforming Dorms, Transforming Lives
When the Dean Ramsey Pennsylvania Men and Women of Action Team arrived in Kenya, something powerful began to happen. Hammers and paint brushes became instruments of hope as this incredible team kicked off the long-awaited renovation of the girls’ and boys’ dormitories and bathrooms at the Watu Wa Maana Children’s…
Exciting Updates from Watu Wa Maana – Building Dreams in Kenya
It is an exciting time at Watu Wa Maana, our partner home just outside Nairobi, Kenya, led by the faithful leadership of Wanjuri Kanyoni. God is moving, and so much is happening on the ground that we cannot wait to share! The Paul Cecere Dream Center – Construction Underway Construction…
Bridging the Digital Divide at Watu wa Maana Children’s Home
At Watu wa Maana Children’s Home, their mission has always been to transform the lives of vulnerable youth – including street children, orphans, and children from disadvantaged backgrounds – through holistic care, education, and rehabilitation. They work to equip every child with the skills, confidence, and opportunities they need to…
Dreaming BIG at Watu Wa Maana Children’s Centre
The children at Watu Wa Maana Children’s Centre are living up to the Swahili meaning of their home’s name, “Very Important People”. These incredible young minds are thinking big about their futures, aspiring to become the leaders and changemakers of tomorrow. Each day, the children’s eyes light up as they…
‘God has miraculously provided’ – Meet the ‘Mama and Daddy’ of Watu Wa Maana
By Laura J. Gates When God calls, he equips. Wanjiru Waira Kamau and her husband John Kanyoni know this to be true. These obedient servants have walked by faith for more than two decades in the vision God has given them to care for street children in Ruiru, Kenya. “God…
OUR WATU WA MAANA GALLERY
About the Republic of Kenya
Kenya is in East Africa on the Indian Ocean coast and bordered by Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Nairobi is its largest city and its capital. The city of Ruiru, near Nairobi, is an industrial town and the 6th largest urban center in Kenya. Swahili and English are official languages in Kenya along with numerous indigenous languages.
Kenya's geographic landscape encompasses savannahs, lake lands, valleys, mountain highlands and lots of wildlife. From Nairobi safaris visit the Maasai Mara Reserve, known for its annual wildebeest migrations, and Amboseli National Park, offering views of Tanzania's Mt. Kilimanjaro.
With a population just under 54 million, approximately 3.6 million are orphaned or vulnerable children under the age of 18—47% are orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS, 15% are double orphans (lost both parents) and 85% are single orphans. 700 children are orphaned every day and 1/3 of these are orphaned due to HIV / AIDS.
Kenya ranks as the eighth poorest country in the world – and the sixth poorest in Africa. Over 25% of the population live on less than $1 per day and 12-15% of households in Kenya are headed by an orphan sibling. In some regions, over 25% of orphans are acutely malnourished in spite of the fact that Kenyan’s economy is largely driven by agriculture.
As a Kenyan orphan or vulnerable child, challenges are many—physical abuse, defilement, sexual exploitation, child labor, early marriages—all are traumatized. Their future is unpredictable—no or limited access to proper health care, education, shelter and nutrition—and often disinherited by their next of kin.