Securing the Future of Kenya’s Vulnerable Children

By Susan Otuoma
Not many people have heard of Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen “A. P. J.” Abdul Kalam. He was the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. He once uttered words that beautifully capture the guiding philosophy of my work with children, ‘let us sacrifice our today so that our children can have a better tomorrow.’
Sacrifice is about giving more than is expected for the benefit of others. In the words of Sai Baba the Indian spiritual leader, ‘life is a sacrifice, offer it.’ Given that they are our future, sacrificing for the welfare of our children is both an aspiration and an act that we as a country need to embrace.
Kenya’s constitution makes it clear in section 53 that every child has the right, ‘to be protected from abuse, neglect, harmful cultural practices, all forms of violence, inhuman treatment and punishment, and hazardous or exploitative labour.’ The constitution goes on to state in that same section that children have a right ‘to parental care and protection, which includes equal responsibility of the mother and father to provide for the child, whether they are married to each other or not.’
If we take a long hard look in our national mirror, we will realize that the country is by and large violating its own constitution every time that these rights are violated. Some of these violations are visible like those children who sell wares to motorists across the country. Others are invisible like the thousands of children who labor in farms and enterprises in all corners of this nation. Our homes too, are full of children rights violations.
Behind closed doors, children are either not getting enough food or getting extreme punishments that scar instead of correcting them. In worst case scenarios that are tragically widespread, children are victims of sexual abuse with innocent daughters sometimes falling victim to their own predatory fathers.
As someone who has been involved in the child adoption sector for more than two decades, I am a firm believer that adoption is a highly effective yet under-valued way of protecting the rights of our vulnerable children in our society. It is one of the very few ways that we can heed the words of our constitution in section 53 that children have a right to ‘children have a right ‘to parental care and protection..’ Are all the children who are either orphaned with no guardians or abandoned really enjoying this right?
In the month of June, my organization, Little Angels, was able to oversee the successful adoption of 22 children. These innocent Kenyans will now have parents to care for them and a place to call their very own personal home for the rest of their lives.
The alternative childcare that adoption enables is often viewed as a last resort for couples that can’t have children. But even arguably more importantly, adoption is also about children that need parents. The 22 children that we placed with parents in July have found the very care and protection that they are entitled to under our constitution.
A snapshot of some of the parents who are now in the process of adopting these children shows how fellow Kenyans that have now found new meaning and purpose in life. Some are childless couples while others are couples who have lost their children to the cruel hand of death. But what they all have in common is a desire to share the sacred gift of parenthood. On their part, the adoptees have found responsible and caring people who will give them the decent and meaningful life that they deserve.
Despite the moratorium that our government placed on international adoption, Kenya remains among the best African countries in terms of adoption laws, policies and procedures. This ensures that children who are adopted do not jump from the frying pan into the fire. On the strength of these laws, prospective parents need to seriously consider and embrace the gift that is adoption. This will play a vital role in securing the future of our country’s vulnerable children.