In this blog, Rachel explains what life in the Kujali Abandoned Baby Unit is like – by explaining ‘a day in the life’ of the unit. In summary, it is very similar to many mothers’ days – feed, change, play, sleep . . . repeat – but on a bigger scale!

Our last blog explained how abandoned babies are a major issue in Kenya.  To help improve their life prospects Kenya Children Centres funded the creation, and continues to fund the day-to-day operations, of a dedicated Abandoned Baby Unit in the Kujali Children’s Centre, a Charitable Children’s Institute (CCI) near Thika. This blog looks at how the Centre has improved the lives of the abandoned babies taken into its care.

Unwanted pregnancy among young girls in Kenya is rife. According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2014, a quarter of women have given birth by age 18 and almost half by age 20. More recent statistics show that 40% of girls between 15 and 19 in poor communities become pregnant, with many even younger, barely teenagers. That has led to an epidemic of unwanted babies.