MADE IN THE STREETS
Loving and Caring for Street Connected Youth in Kenya.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The UN estimates there are close to 150 million children living on the streets worldwide. Roughly 60,000 of those kids live on the streets of Nairobi, Kenya. Due to extreme poverty, abuse, neglect, and other factors, these kids find their way to the streets with only the clothes they are wearing and little hope for a future. The daily struggle to survive on the streets leads many kids to use drugs, beg, steal, and go to bed hungry and cold. Many times, the streets prove to be even more dangerous than the slum neighborhoods these kids left, and kids are often physically and sexually abused. The crisis of children living and struggling for survival on the streets of Nairobi and other metropolitan cities around the World continues to grow. These amazing kids need someone who will love them, serve them and offer them a chance to leave the streets and change their lives.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
MITS Literacy Program
Teenagers living on the streets of Nairobi are invited to change their lives and join the MITS Education and Literacy program - a full-boarding and education program where they are loved and cared for by a team of outstanding Kenyan teachers, dorm parents, and administrators.
MITS Skills Program
Students who came from living on the streets complete a literacy program and move on to skills training at 16 years of age. MITS Skills Program includes two-year trainings in Catering/Hospitality; Cosmetology; Computer Literacy; Industrial Arts; and Professional Business Character.
MITS Streets Program
Our team is comprised of Kenyans who have a heart for bringing new life to street children. Every day, rain or shine, they walk the streets of Eastleigh and visit bases - where street kids live. They provide first aid, hospitality, food, games, counseling and friendship to to children at the bases. After weeks and months of consistently building trust, they are able to invite street boys and street girls to become involved with programs at the MITS Drop-In Center in Eastleigh.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of children reached with a meal each school day
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
MITS Streets Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
MITS drop-in center provides meals for every homeless child and young adult who comes to the center each day. This program is open and providing meals six days a week.
Number of homeless participants engaged in mental health services
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Street-connected youth and former street-connected youth who are currently engaged in trauma informed therapy at one of two MITS locations.
Number of students enrolled
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
MITS Literacy Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Number of former street-connected youth who are currently enrolled in the MITS boarding school program.
Number of graduates enrolled in higher learning, university, or technical/vocational training
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
MITS Skills Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Former street-connected youth who are enrolled in MITS two-year vocational training program in one of three areas: hospitality; cosmetology; auto mechanics.
Number of program graduates
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of clients who achieve and maintain abstinence from alcohol and drugs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Number of MITS graduates who maintained an abstinence from substance abuse after graduation for MITS boarding school and vocational training program.
Number of direct care staff who received training in trauma informed care
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The mission of MADE IN THE STREETS is to love and serve children from the streets of Nairobi, Kenya and around the World - meeting their physical, emotional and spiritual needs - loving them fully; equipping them to earn a living; and sending them out to a new life. The 3 phases in this mission include daily visits to build relationships with street kids at their "bases"; recruiting kids who are ready for a new life to join the boarding school program where they receive education and vocational training; and sending these transformed students back into the world to be community leaders and world changers.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
MITS program begins with a team of qualified Kenyans who have a heart for bringing good news to street children. Every day, rain or shine, they walk the streets of Eastleigh and visit bases. They provide first aid, Bible study, food, games, counseling and friendship to children at the bases. After weeks and months of consistently building trust, they are able to invite street boys and street girls to become involved with programs at the Eastleigh Centre - a daily drop-in center.
When a street kid demonstrates a desire to leave the streets and change their lives, and they are between the ages of 13 & 14, they are invited to live at MITS School Campus in Kamulu. Here they attend school and are well cared for until they are 18 years old. The school program includes two phases:
PHASE 1: LITERACY
All MITS students begin their studies with us in the literacy program. Every week day, literacy students report to class at the Learning Centre. Daily studies include Bible, Math, Computers, English, Science, Social Studies and Swahili. Students also receive teaching in enrichment classes on topics such as character, ethics, business skills and public speaking.
When they are ready, all MITS students take the KCPE (Kenyan Certificate of Primary Education). Once they complete the Literacy Program and turn 16, they are ready to enter the second phase of MITS eduction.
PHASE 2: SKILLS TRAINING
Once they have completed the literacy program, they are ready to select a skill for which they will train for two years. Just like in Literacy, skills students attend classes and practicums in their chosen skill every week day.
Students can choose from the following skill areas:
-Hair dressing/Cosmetology
-Catering/Hospitality
-Industrial Arts : Auto Mechanics, Woodworking, Welding, Plumbing
Our skills students also participate in business training, computer classes and Bible studies to prepare them for going out into the world to build a new life once they exit our program.
Our student affairs staff carefully counsels students on life after MITS and records each student's life story, allowing students to state what was learned and how each has grown during their time at MITS. We help each student create a resume and coach them through professionalism and interview skills. We also help them find internships in their chosen skill area. MITS students are reliable workers and demonstrate a desire to excel, and the team assist these graduates in obtaining steadily paying jobs and stable living arrangements.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
MADE IN THE STREETS' mission is accomplished through the ongoing financial support of hundreds of individuals and families, as well as partnerships from churches, business, and foundations.
MADE IN THE STREETS is staffed by a highly trained and incredibly capable team of over 50 local Kenyans who love street kids and long to offer them the tools and development they need to change their lives.
MADE IN THE STREES has two outstanding campuses across the larger Nairobi area to use for serving streets kids: a daily drop-in center in the metro area with daily services for street kids and families and a boarding school campus comprised of approximately 40 acres.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
During the last 24 years, MADE IN THE STREETS has seen more than 400 former street kids graduate from the program and go on to obtain steadily paying employment; establish healthy home lives; and develop as Godly leaders in their communities and beyond. Many current program staff members are former street kids who completed the MITS program and came back to serve other students and provide the necessary leadership and management for MITS' continued growth and impact in Nairobi.
But there is still so much more to do. There are still many more street kids in Nairobi and other cities across the World that need love and care. There are still opportunities for street kids to leave the streets and begin transforming their lives. In the next few years, with God's help and thousands of partners, MADE IN THE STREETS will look for avenues of expansion and growth; build relationships with like-minded organizations and ministries; and create a ground swell of support and advocacy for the millions of children living on the streets in Kenya and around the World.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time, It is difficult to get honest feedback from the people we serve
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
MADE IN THE STREETS
Board of directorsas of 06/21/2023
Taylor Brooks
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 09/29/2022GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.