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Child Rescue Foundation focuses on the reduction of child mortality. We help children, their mothers and pregnant women. Our team supports over six thousand households in the slum community "Kiambiu" in the east of Nairobi. In this slum, many young mothers have little education and income, they live in challenging conditions and have given birth to several children in short intervals. Under these socio-demographic conditions, the under-5 child mortality rate in Kenya is around 10%.
In 2007, when we started the rescue project, each year 10 or more children had died in Kiambiu. At that time, especially needy mothers and their children did not receive enough support. Child Rescue has been able to reduce the number of child deaths in Kiambiu steadily. Since the year 2011, two or less children have died per year in Kiambiu. We are grateful that we have been able to reduce child mortality below 1.5%.
The Child Rescue team in Nairobi consists of a community nurse and a group of social community workers. On a regular basis, the team visits proactively each household in Kiambiu, where children or pregnant women live. During each household visit, the team provides help, gives advice, and initiates all necessary measures in order to improve the health development of the children and their mothers.
In an emergency, the Child Rescue team organizes a rescue transport and accompanies the mother with the child to the clinic. Child Rescue supports the family with financial resources so they can afford necessary diagnosis, treatment and medication. The team of Child Rescue takes care of the rescued child until it is healthy again. Where does the Child Rescue project help in Africa?Child Rescue Project serving the families in the informal settlements of Kiambiu, Nairobi, Kenia.
Child Rescue is serving more than four thousand families in Nairobi, Kenya in the slum area "Kiambiu" (east of Nairobi, to the south of the military airport Moir Air Base, Eastleigh Airport). In Kiambiu (Wikipedia)[/fancy_link], more than 40,000 residents live without running water and sewerage in critical hygienic and poorest conditions. Main medical causes of high child mortality include infection, diarrhoea and pneumonia. Other causes of child death include accidents and child neglect or abuse.
We focus on the UN Millennium Goals 4 and 5: reduction of child mortality and improvement of child and maternal health in a deprived community. Child Rescue successfully cooperates with all local authorities and other aid organisations assisting the Kiambiu community. We bridge the gap and provide vital support, which is not offered by public healthcare or any other organisation.
Since 2007, we have provided community health trainings and awareness campaigns in Kiambiu on a regular basis. More than 1,000 mothers and pregnant women have already participated. In these trainings, the Child Rescue nurse teaches essential basics of healthy nutrition, hygiene, family planning, vaccination and first aid. The mothers learn health-seeking behavior and effective preventive measures. They benefit a lot from sharing their parental experiences with each other in the group. During these workshops, they receive vital, potentially lifesaving information on all relevant aspects of pregnancy, birth and child health.
Positive change: Over the years, the mothers have changed their behaviour in key areas: they give birth in hospital and breastfeed their children exclusively during the first six months. They take care of the recommended vaccinations, pay attention to a balanced nutrition and trust in medical assistance.
Due to the service of the Child Rescue team, especially the household visits, the emergency rescue missions and the healthcare trainings, we have contributed to a strong reduction of child mortality. The number of child deaths dropped down drastically from more than 10 deaths in 2007 to two or less deaths annually since the year 2011. Thereby, we have proactively helped to save each year the lives of several children who might have died with high probability without our help.
Additionally, the vaccination level and health development of children, pregnant women and mothers has improved significantly. The health-seeking behaviour of many mothers has changed in a positive direction. The number of infections and diarrheal diseases has declined significantly. The community members help each other. Finally, the self-help group of volunteering mentor-mothers is important for a lasting reduction of child mortality in Kiambiu.
Here are some of the cases handled by Child Rescue foundation in Kiambiu:
Chris suffered from several dangerous illnesses: pneumonia, rickets, malaria, meningitis, and malnutrition. His mother has 7 children and stopped taking immunization from the clinic. But when she registered the severe problems of Chris, she informed the Child Rescue team and asked for help.
The mother was referred by the Child Rescue nurse to Kenyatta National Hospital where Chris and his siblings were treated on medication and booked on outpatient follow-up clinic for further close monitoring. Child Rescue helped in transfer of these children to the hospital, diagnoses and purchase of medication. Chris has fully recovered while one of is siblings is still recovering from malnutrition problems and still going for checkup clinics.
Emily is 1year 4month and is the second born child in a family of two children and single Mother. The older sibling is 2.5 years old while the mother is 20years old. The family lives in one of the informal settlements of Pumwani Division in Nairobi North District i.e. Kiambiu slum. The mother does casual labor to earn a living which is hardly enough for the family basic needs.
The program identified the baby when only 2 months old with cleft palate and lip and weight of 2.5kgs due to poor feeding, during the regular door to door interview. Baby Emily had been hidden by the mother because of the stigma from the father and the neighbors. The mother suffered rejection from the father following this condition, citing that she was a witch. Not knowing exactly what to do she waited for fate to dictate the future and survival chances of the baby
The mother had taken baby Emily for immunization, but little had been done to manage the condition. The program facilitated her referral to the hospital for operation which was not done until 6months later when the baby had gained the required weight of 6kgs. Therefore, the program took an initiative of educating the mother on the proper diet for the baby
Finally, the surgery was done to the baby. Child Rescue covered the cost of transport, treatment and medication. Now, Baby Emily fully recovered and is able to feed properly. The mother is happy and determined to work harder so as to take good care of her children.
The mother of Vincent and Leah is a single mother who has already 2 other children and no job or home. She was sick during her pregnancy and was referred by the Child Rescue team to the hospital for safe delivery of the children. There she gave birth to premature twins at 8 months. Vincent and Leah were incubated for 2 weeks, then released home together with the mother. But this mother had no shelter and food to eat, hence the babies were at risk of hypothermia and respiratory infections as well as inadequate breast milk.
The Child Rescue team facilitated the mother to access some clothes for the babies and a neighbour gave her a shelter temporally. The team has been monitoring the progress of the babies and the mother to ensure they develop well. The mother was received health instructions by the team on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding and on following through with immunization of the children until the children are five years of age. As a result, the twins are on course on the under-five immunization program schedule and the mother is now exclusively breastfeeding Vincent and Leah. Both babies are healthy and progressing well.
George was just 4 days old when a neighbour informed the Child Rescue team about his critical situation: he was suffering seriously from jaundice and would have died without urgent treatment. George`s parents are both not working, HIV positive, and additionally the father suffers from tuberculosis. George`s mother is illiterate and only speaks the tongue „luo“. Fortunately, one of the community health workers lives directly in the neighbourhood and also speaks „luo“. That made it possible to communicate directly with the mother, what was important to help George as quick as possible.
George`s mother told the community health worker that she was recommended by the neighbours to stop breastfeeding the child due to her HIV+, so she stopped breastfeeding and introduced the shop milk gradually to George, but he could not digest this milk and lost weight. Furthermore, George was not immunized against the tuberculosis of the father, typically this has to be immunized within the first 2 weeks.
Child Rescue organized and financed the transport and medication of George and his mother to several health care institutions and hospitals for diagnosis, immunization and special medication. Finally, George had to stay for three weeks in hospital and needed further medication at home. After leaving the hospital, the community worker revisited the family regularly, explained the mother in “luo” how to apply the needed drugs and advised the mother to get George diagnosed for HIV at the hospital, when he will become 6 weeks old.
Today, the little boy is out of any critical situation and has fully recovered from jaundice. Because the mother is now exclusively breastfeeding, George eats well and is healthy. His dad is recovering from tuberculosis and able to start work again.
When Grace was identified by the Child Rescue team, she suffered from acute pneumonia and severe malaria. She was in life-threatening conditions. Grace`s mother didn’t know the dangers of defaulting immunization. Without immunization, it is difficult to prevent malaria and respiratory infection. As a result of poverty, the family were not able to afford three meals for the family or even health care services needed for Grace’s diagnosis and medication.
The team decided to bring her directly to the hospital. There she had to stay for 7 days due to the severity of the condition for proper treatment and close monitoring. Furthermore, the program facilitated the purchase of the drugs prescribed in the hospital and the needed immunization. Today, Grace has fully recovered. She is healthy and completely immunized. Grace`s mother benefited from health talks by the team on hygiene, sanitation, family planning and nutrition.
The mother of Simeon is married, she has 7 other children and several chronic illnesses. The Child Rescue team identified Simeon during the routine household visits when he was 3 months old. Simeon had respiratory disorder because of a tumor in the nostril which made it difficult for him to breath. He was also born underweight and had failed to thrive because of poor feeding.
The team referred Siemon to the Kenyatta National Hospital for emergency medical operation to remove the tumor on the respiratory tract. The child Rescue Project financed the consultation fee, fare to the hospital, medical operation and the purchase of prescribed drugs. The medications continued for 11 months. Simeon has recovered completely. Today, he is a healthy a very active 4 years old boy.
Michael`s family has no constant source of income and hardly has enough to feed. Therefore, they could not afford the health care services needed by Michael, especially diagnosis and medication. When Michael and his brother - who is just 2 years older - where identified by the Child Rescue team, their mother was 24 years old and was ignorant about family planning. Thus, she had not taken any measures to plan the number of children she wanted to have. Additionally, Michael suffered from a severe respiratory infection as well as an eye infection.
The Child Rescue team assessed Michael and referred him for treatment at the health facility. After that the program facilitated the purchase of the medication prescribed at the hospital and monitored the Michael’s progress to ensure compliance and to avoid any complication. He has recovered completely. His mother attended trainings provided by Child Rescue on hygiene, sanitation, family planning and nutrition among others. Today, she is one of the “community mentor mothers” in Kiambiu and helps other families on child health issues.
Paul was born underweight and failed to thrive because of poor feeding due to deprived living conditions. These conditions compromised his health further. His mother is married but has already 5 other children and three of them are under-five years old. The team identified Paul when he was 1 month old during the routine door to door active search. At the age of 3 months, he had respiratory disorder and severe Pneumonia, which made it difficult for him to breath. Therefore, the team referred him to the Child Rescue nurse who after assessment referred Paul to the hospital for proper and further management. Paul was admitted in the hospital for 1month where he got emergency treatment and all the medical drugs he needed.
The whole process has been managed and financed by the Child Rescue Project. The program further facilitated checkup visits during the intensive care phase until Paul was out of danger. The Child Rescue team monitored the child’s progress and recovery in regular follow-up household visits. Paul has recovered completely, and he has received the under-five child immunization. He is now 1year old, healthy with the normal weight and very active. The family is grateful to Child Rescue for rescuing Paul.
Mary was 1 year and 3 months old when a neighbor who had benefited from Child Rescue services referred her to the team. She was malnourished and had anemia. As a result, Mary suffered from rickets i.e. due to weak bones. She had previously received management at the National Kenyatta hospital but could not get the full treatment due to financial constrain.
The Child Rescue Project financed the consultation fee, as well as the fare to the hospital and the purchase of prescribed drugs. The drugs were for three months. Mary totally got well, today her weight is normal and she is a healthy and active girl. Also, her blood level is normal and all functions are well. Mary is now 5 years old and goes to school as any other child.
Monica’s abdomen was swollen immediately after birth. She and her two other siblings, who were also under 5 years old, were identified during the routine house to house interview by the Child Rescue team members. The team diagnosed the swollen abdomen as a result of the wrong nutrition for the newborn baby. At this time, Monica had been breastfed and parallel had been fed with bad food which caused finally problems of her digestion.
Child Rescue program facilitated the purchase of the prescribed drugs, which Monica had to take for one month. The parents were given health talk on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding and follow through of immunization of the children until their age of five years. After finishing the medication and starting exclusively breastfeeding, Monica has fully recovered and is today 1 year and seven months old.
Lena is the nurse of the Child Rescue project in Kiambiu, Nairobi. Since the beginning of the project in the year 2007, she’s been responsible for all medical and nursing tasks. She leads the team of social community workers and manages their regular household visits in Kiambiu. She is responsible for all patient diagnostics and data, she accompanies the children and their mothers to the hospital and she takes care of them until they have fully recovered.
Lena organizes awareness campaigns and runs health care trainings for pregnant women and mothers. She acts as lecturer, trainer, mentor and trusted expert of the project. She supports the Mentor Mother self-help group and provides regular reporting about the project development. Lena has contributed significantly to the success of the project. She has gained the trust and support of the Kiambiu community members, local authorities, partnering organisations and all other stakeholders. We appreciate her professional expertise and thank her sincerely for her great personal dedication.
Since 1957, St. John's Community Centre has been serving the needy "Pumwani" slum location, located within Pumwani district east of Nairobi city. The slum community "Kiambiu" is one out of 6 communities within the Pumwani location. Since 2007, Child Rescue Stiftung and St John's Community Centre (SJCC) have successfully partnered in establishing the emergency rescue project in Kiambiu focusing on the U.N. Millennium Goal #4: reduction of child mortality and improvement of child and maternal health.
Peter Njuguna is responsible for all programs of SJCC. He has contributed his valuable experience and guidance to manage the project’s strategy and impactful development. We are grateful for the excellent collaboration with Peter Njuguna and the St. John's Community Centre and look forward to continue our effective partnership.
The team of community health workers carries out the regular household visits and supports the families in the Kiambiu community so that their children develop healthy. In emergency situations, the team members organize a rescue transport and accompany the mothers with their children to the hospital. They take care of the needy children and their mothers along the whole process of rescue, from emergency rescue missions until recovery. They actively support the nurse at the regular training of mothers and pregnant women.
The community health workers live in Kiambiu and the surrounding area. They speak English, Kiswahili and understand various customary local dialects. They are accessible on weekends and evenings for emergency rescue on site. Due to their steady and substantial service, the community health workers have greatly contributed to the positive impact of the Child Rescue project. We are very grateful for their tireless efforts, often under very difficult conditions.
Mentor Mothers are a group of mothers in the Kiambiu community who help as volunteers other mothers and their children as well as pregnant women within Kiambiu. They support the service of Child Rescue by conducting household visits. In case of an emergency, they call the social community workers and the nurse. Mentor mothers share their positive experiences with the other mothers in all essential areas of behavior such as immunization, nutrition, sanitation, hygiene and breast feeding. For example, in case a mother is missing immunization, the mentor mother can guide this mother and her child to the nearest clinic to obtain vaccination.
Mentor mothers have formed a self-help group and contribute crucial help for child mortality reduction and for better health of children, pregnant women and mothers. We, the Child Rescue Foundation together with all members of Kiambiu community, express the highest appreciation, admiration and praise to each Mentor Mother for her important volunteer service!
Rainer Lauterbach has worked as volunteer rescue worker at ambulances in Germany. He has personally witnessed how lives could be saved by emergency rescue services. In his research on the causes of child mortality he noticed that in some deprived communities with high mortality, there are no sufficient rescue services available.
He has established the Child Rescue Foundation with the objective to reduce child mortality by providing focused emergency rescue, prevention and empowerment services. Together with the St. John's Community Centre in Nairobi, he has built up the child rescue project in the needy slum community Kiambiu East of Nairobi, which has contributed strongly to the reduction of child mortality and improvement of child and maternal health.
We thank the donors of “Albert-Einstein” secondary school of the city Wesseling in Germany and other generous donors for their valuable donations. The students have organized charitable activities at the school’s summer festival in 2012 and they have offered a non-alcoholic cocktail bar at the school’s 50th Anniversary in 2013. They have donated the entire proceeds to the Child Rescue project in Kiambiu. These donations have been used 100% to finance medication, rescue missions and healthcare trainings for the mothers and their children in Kiambiu.
All administrative costs of the project are borne by the Executive Board of Child Rescue Foundation. Dear students, parents and teachers of “Albert-Einstein” secondary school, your donations have directly contributed to the reduction of infant mortality and improvement of children and maternal health in Kiambiu. Thank you very much!
The management of PMP Vermögensmanagement in Düsseldorf has launched the idea of converting the kilometers run by employees during a Charity Run in 2020 into a donation for the Child Rescue Foundation. This donation will be used 100% for the needy children in the poor district of Kiambiu in Nairobi Kenya.
The donation will be used to financially support the "Mentor Mothers and Fathers". These are mothers and fathers who pro-actively go to the neediest households in Kiambiu as neighborhood helpers to rescue sick children in critical conditions and, in emergencies, to transport the children to the nearest clinic.
All administrative costs are borne by the Foundation's Executive Board. This donation has contributed to the reduction of child mortality in Kiambiu. We would like to express our sincere thanks to the team from PMP Vermögensmanagement for this charitable commitment!
Child Rescue is a non-governmental organisation based in Germany reaching out to more than 4,000 children in Nairobi (Kenya) with an emergency rescue project. We cooperate closely with local, national and international partners. We provide lifesaving services, which the children and their mothers cannot receive from public healthcare or any other organisation. We complement the aid of other organisations and fill the "rescue gap" with community services focusing on the reduction of child mortality and the improvement of child and maternal health
Children's Fund Foundation Centre is an umbrella foundation that manages the Child Rescue Foundation, as well as more than 180 other foundations and endowment funds for disadvantaged children and young people in Germany and worldwide.
Kindernothilfe is one of Germany's largest non-profit organisations dedicated to the well-being of children.
Kindernothilfe has cooperated with St. John's Community Centre in Nairobi for many years.
St. John's Community Centre acts as local partner for Child Rescue’s project in Nairobi, Kenya. All project team members are recruited directly from Nairobi, specifically from Kiambiu community and neighborhoods. Thereby, we provide jobs and training for these young community members
Dr. Rainer Lauterbach
Niddaplatz 4
61118 Bad Vilbel, Germany
T: +49 6101 987 9877
M: +49 170 340 1248
Donations can be transferred directly to the donations account of Child Rescue Stiftung. Your donations will be used 100% for the charitable project in Kiambiu in Kenya to finance rescue services, healthcare trainings and medication for the needy children, pregnant women and mothers. All administrative costs are borne by the executive board of the Foundation.
Recipient: Child Rescue Stiftung
Account number: 375 1530 153
Bank identification code: 70020500
Bank für Sozialwirtschaft
You can get a receipt for your donation and more information about the administration of Child Rescue Foundation at Kinderfonds Stiftungszentrum
Kinderfonds Stiftungszentrum
Gerit Reimann
Haus des Stiftens
Landshuter Allee 11
80637 München, Germany
Tel. +49 89 744 200 200