FAQ Page - Frequently Asked Questions
Lifesong Kenya proudly partners with individuals, institutions, companies, government, national and international nonprofit organizations. Together with our partners, we train, educate, mentor, and provide job opportunities for our youth. Learn more from our find help page.
Lifesong Kenya is a community-based organization that is dedicated to providing a halfway house and a safe space for boys and young men who have gone through trauma, stigma, abuse, neglect or exploitation. We exist to encourage, inspire, inform and invest directly in restorative justice, reconciliation and restoration.
Lifesong Kenya began in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2010 as a Reading Club when our founder, Hawi James Ouma started promoting reading while working as a Children’s TV Producer. In 2012, Hawi met boys at Nairobi Remand Prison and later Lifesong Kenya was registered as a Community-Based Organization. Lifesong Kenya’s mission was sustained through sewing buttons for boys. Since then, Lifesong Kenya has become a non-profit that serves as a bridge to hope, second chances and redemption for at-risk boys and young men in Kenya.
You can read more about Lifesong Kenya’s mission.
Helping boys and young men to develop tangible skills and a mindset that enables them to succeed at home, school, community – and beyond.
1 in every 4 Kenyan boys is unfathered, underfathered or misfathered. This forces the boy-child to feel unloved and unprotected and thus, becoming more vulnerable to juvenile delinquency, gender-based violence, sexual assault, crime and conflict.
Failure to properly address this thorny issue may result in these boys and young men evolving into abusive boyfriends, husbands, fathers and uncles who will keep spreading trauma and stigma to present and future generations.
Lifesong Kenya is tackling this by providing a safe space and halfway house where Exceptional Young Men who have faced incarceration, exploitation, neglect or abuse can receive life coaching, peer mentoring, healing, reconciliation and aftercare support.
Lifesong Kenya believes that Exceptional Young Men who have gone through trauma and stigma deserve healing, restoration and reconciliation with their families and the community.
Working towards a thriving community where men and women can peacefully coexist and complement each other.
Lifesong Kenya’s model uses a unique approach that empowers young men to discover and use their treasure to solve local challenges as opposed to focusing on what they lack.
Unlike other boy-child empowerment programs, Lifesong Kenya goes the extra mile to address the psycho-social and moral needs of young men by standing in the gap as father-figures, life coaches, mentors, mediators, job providers and being channels of healing and reconciliation.
Reconciling boys and young men who are in conflict with the law, first time offenders and youth who have been wrongly accused with their families, the police and those who have been wronged.
We are currently running our programs at Kamiti Youth Correctional Centre.
Empowering at-risk boys and male youth who are in school and in the community and preventing them from engaging in social vices and crime.
Offering transitional housing for boys and male youth who need a safe space, education and aftercare support for their healing and restoration back to the community.
Our Halfway House has the capacity to accommodate 14 clients at any given time and our program runs for 3 months.
Empowering incarcerated male youth to take responsibility for their mistakes and reconciling them with their families, the police and the people they’ve wronged and hurt.
- Funding for programs & activities
- Skilled personnel
- Wifi for online learning
- Scholarships for learners
- Life coaches
- Mentors
- Land to build a Halfway House
- Animal feeds for ongoing projects
- Investment for sustainable income
- Mountain bicycles for school programs
- Building material for projects
- Investment for our social enterprises
Lifesong Kenya is a community-based organization that hugely depends on individual and corporate donations as well as volunteers.
We are not receiving any financial support from the government and we are sustaining our program and activities through volunteers and receiving support from a few of our friends and donors.
We also charge parents of young men who seek help and support from us. We are currently charging KShs. 15,000 ($150) per month. This amount enables us to take care of the needs of our clients.
We use your donations to do the following;
- Paying rent for our Halfway House
- Providing meals at the Halfway House
- Buying food for our chicken, ducks and rabbits
- Paying for electricity and water
- Paying for phone calls to parents
- Transport to prison and visiting families
- Counselling and therapy
- Paying staff members who work on our farm
MPesa Paybill: 574 329, Account: Lifesong
Wave App: use +254 719 573 780.
PayPal: donations@lifesongkenya.org
Omprkash: Use this link
Lifesong Kenya is working on becoming self-reliant. Not only will this sustain our programs, we’ll also be able to create jobs. As a result, our sustainability plan will produce food for our halfway house and create employment.
By doing this, we will have the capacity to run consistent programs and reach more male youth in our after-school, restorative justice and transitional housing programs.
It is important for us to grow our food, create jobs and generate income. Our projects will equip male youth with valuable skills so they can become resilient. But, in order to actualize this, we need your support.
We have started running the following projects;
- Organic vegetable farming
- Dairy Goat rearing
- Rabbit keeping
- Kienyeji chicken farming
We would like to engage in the following project;
- vocational training
- bicycle-related businesses and activities
- bottle recycling
- job linkages
We would like to buy land where we can engage in large-scale farming and agribusiness activities that will increase our capacity to take care of more boys and young men.
We are currently renting a facility that we are using as a Halfway House. Not only is this option costly, but it also does not provide us with the best environment for our programs and activities since it wasn’t designed for purposes of a halfway house.
Invest today and help us to achieve more impact and transformation. We invest in every boy and young man by providing opportunities for personal, professional and financial growth through programs, services and support that increases their chances to stay in school and gain employment.
Give monthly and help us to have consistent donations that will help us to be more consistent and sustainable throughout the year.
Donate here
Use your experience and influence to give back to the community by becoming a mentor to boys who need your help the most.
Learn more here
Help us to provide support for mothers who need support in the following areas;
- link up with our mothers for monthly meetings
- provide guidance and mentorship
- offer counselling, therapy and aftercare support
- organize mentoring events
- volunteer your time and skills
- help fundraise for our programs
- adopt a project at our Halfway House
- school fees
- text books and mathematical sets
- school uniform – shirts, sweater, trouser, socks, shoes and tie
- a set of underwear and vest
- school holiday camps
- school holiday job shadowing
Use your skills, expertise and knowledge to volunteer with us online or onsite. This will enable us to achieve more impact and transformation.
Learn more here
We get our volunteers from across the world. We are currently working with the following organizations and institutions;
- Omprakash
- Kenya Revenue Authority
- Strathmore University Service-Based Learning
Our mission is to provide a safe space and Halfway House for boys and young men who need healing and restoration from stigma and trauma that results from incarceration, neglect, exploitation or abuse.
Our Halfway House offers housing support to boys and male youth who need a safe space for their healing and restoration back to their families and community.
This includes boys and young men exiting juvenile prison, borstal institutions, rehabilitation centres, aging out of children’s homes, transitioning from refugee camps or those facing neglect, abuse or exploitation.
- Clients’ voluntary participation
- Sponsorship to stay at our Halfway House
- Drug and alcohol use is not allowed, and you’re subject to random drug testing.
- You must contribute to the house by doing chores.
- No fighting or violence toward other residents.
- No stealing or destroying another resident’s property.
- You must adhere to a curfew.
- You must attend our programs, meetings and activities.
- Having an exit plan is a must.
- You may be required to interview for jobs if you don’t already have one.
In order for our transitional housing program to achieve its mission and objectives, we require that parents, guardians and their sponsors to get involved in the whole process right from the beginning to end.
Reach out to our office for more information.
We have the capacity to host 14 boys at any given time and our housing program runs for 3 months.
During their 3 months stay, the clients receive support in the following areas;
- transitional housing
- therapy and counseling
- life skills
- medication
- mentoring
- life coaching
- personal branding
- meals
- reconciliation with families and community
It costs KShs. 15,000 to take care of 1 boy for 1 month.
Other costs include;
- Drug test
- Transport cost to our Halfway House and during exit
- Basic needs, which include, toothbrush, slippers, towel, 3 pairs of underwear, 3 pairs of white vests, sneakers, running shorts, trousers, shirts, jumpers, etc
Monthly Sponsorship Covers
- Housing – KShs. 5,000
- Counseling – KShs. 3,000
- Meals – KShs. 2,200
- Education – KShs. 1,500
- Medication – KShs. 1,000
- Life Skills – KShs. 800
- Outings – KShs. 800
- Internet – KShs. 400
- Television – KShs. 400
- Utilities – KShs. 300
Lifesong Kenya depends on donations and support from individuals who give in support of our work. However, the support is not enough to cater for the Halfway House programs and activities.
As a result, we depend on the following stakeholders;
- parents or guardians of our clients
- organizations making referrals and linkages
- voluntary donors
Yes. Lifesong Kenya is registered as a community-based organization. We are in the process of registering as a foundation in order to operate under a single licence.
Lifesong Kenya Registration No.: DAG/CBO/5/4/2013/318
KJD/N/CBO/2022/08578
P051912090J
Omprakash
need more help and support?
Contact us for more information about our programs and activities.
- +254 719 573 780 or email houseadmissions@gmail.com