The St Jerome’s Centre provides residential care for up to 30 children. We aim to create a warm, welcoming environment with a strong sense of family, a true home for those who need it most.
Children are referred to us through the District Children’s Office, local schools, or members of the community concerned about a child’s welfare. Each case is carefully assessed on an individual basis to ensure that we are the most appropriate and supportive placement for every child.
Each child in our care is supported to access education, with school uniforms, supplies, and fees provided for primary and secondary school, as well as vocational college courses where appropriate.
Unlike in the UK, secondary education in Kenya is not free. Fees can cost around £1,000 per child each year, representing a significant commitment for a small charity like ours. As a result, much of our fundraising is focused on ensuring these costs are covered.
We believe that every child has the right to an education. Yet for many children in Nakuru, this opportunity remains out of reach, making this support one of the most important ways we can help shape their future.
We support the health and wellbeing of every child in our care by covering medical fees and ensuring access to regular check-ups.
Alongside this, we provide educational sessions on a range of health topics and offer one-to-one counselling with trained staff, supporting both physical and emotional wellbeing.
Reuniting families is one of our core values. We believe every child deserves a safe and supportive family environment. However, due to circumstances such as abuse, neglect, or addiction, this is not always possible.
Where it is safe and appropriate, we make every effort to support children at St Jerome’s to maintain and rebuild relationships with their families. This looks different for each child: some may visit family during school holidays, some may be gradually reintegrated into the family home, while others remain at St Jerome’s until they are ready to move on as independent young adults.
Read about Peter’s story here.
We continue to support our older children as they transition into adulthood, recognising that this stage of life brings new challenges as well as opportunities.
A plan is made for each child approaching adulthood, we listen to their interests and encourage independence by providing guidance with career decisions and accommodation arrangements.
Those who grew up at St Jerome’s, now independent adults, regularly visit and keep in contact with committee and staff.
The Laurence Anderson Philip Bagenal (LAPB) Fund is a dedicated scholarship scheme supporting young people as they leave secondary school, providing financial support and mentorship to help them access higher education.
The fund was established by supporters of St Jerome’s in memory of two men, a generation apart, who both died from cancer. Laurence and Philip each spent time in Kenya and shared a commitment to creating opportunities for the people they met.
The scholarship programme is currently in its fundraising stage. Once operational, it will help make college and university education more accessible for school leavers.
We provide school lunches for children at a local primary school who have been identified as at risk of going without a full meal each day.
This initiative began when we noticed children at St Jerome’s sharing their meals with classmates. In response, we worked closely with teachers and families to identify those most in need and ensure they receive at least one nutritious meal each day.
While the need in the wider community is significant, we are committed to supporting as many children as we can within the resources available to us.
Our dedicated team of staff are at the heart of everything we do. Our Manager, Carl, leads the Kenyan operations within our charity with a passion for family tracing and pastoral care.
Our caregivers, known to the children as “aunties”, provide the day-to-day support that makes St Jerome’s feel like home: preparing meals, maintaining a safe and welcoming environment, and offering care, comfort, and encouragement to every child. Our night security staff are trusted members of the team, helping to ensure the safety and wellbeing of everyone at the centre.
We are committed to paying our staff a fair wage, above the minimum standard in Kenya, something made possible by the ongoing support of our monthly sponsors, whose contributions keep the charity running.
We are a volunteer-run committee responsible for the oversight and strategic development of the charity. Alongside our roles within the committee, we all work full-time and maintain regular daily contact as a team, contributing to different areas of the charity’s work.
Gemma, our Chairperson, is based in Canada. A trained occupational therapist, she founded St Jerome’s Centre aged 18, and continues to lead the charity today.
Beth, a doctor based in Cardiff, first visited Kenya in 2011 at the age of 18. Becky, a physiotherapist, volunteers her time to manage the centre’s finances. Ben, a keen traveller, has been going to Kenya for over 17 years. Lauren, a physiotherapist in London, has been visiting since 2014 and leads on fundraising and website development. Hazel, also a doctor based in Cardiff, has been a trustee since 2013.
Our committee is built on long-term commitment, hands-on involvement, and regular visits to Kenya, alongside full-time professional work, primarily in healthcare. This blend of experience and lived connection to the charity’s work is what continues to attract people to our organisation.
We are a small organisation that values strong, personal relationships with those who support our work. We keep in regular contact through quarterly newsletters and updates via social media.
We also welcome direct enquiries to our committee, ensuring openness, accessibility, and transparency in all that we do. This approach helps ensure that donations are clearly accounted for, with financial support going directly towards our operations in Kenya.
Our regular supporters are also invited to join fundraising events, including two successful charity balls held in 2023 and 2025.
We are always open to developing partnerships with organisations that wish to collaborate with us and support our work.
We are currently working with a London-based architect with experience in building projects across sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, we have established a working group of Kenyan architects, structural engineers, and quantity surveyors to design a new extension to our current site. This development will provide safe, comfortable dormitory and living spaces for both the children and staff at St Jerome’s. Find out more about the project and how you can get involved here.
