Duo make it their business to keep children secure

Frantic efforts were launched in earnest on foot, vehicles and on social media after an 11-year-old girl left her home in Hurligham, Nairobi, unnoticed.

Ms Maryann Munyendo and Jennifer Kaberi, who had earlier met in 2016 during a national conference on the Best Interest of the child at Daystar University, joined the search crew as co-ordinators.

The girl’s picture was posted on the Missing Child Kenya website and on other social media pages together with details on her physical features as well as clothes she wore when she left her parent’s house.

“Information started streaming in on a newly opened WhatsApp group where pictures of children walking on their own were photographed and posted,” recalls Ms Munyendo.

“The search lasted six hours after a motorist posted the right picture and they secured the child until her parents arrived within Kilimani.”

This ignited an idea over a business about child safety preparedness. This led to a new direction for their free-of-charge ‘Missing Child’ online site, that they had already set up.

“We incorporated a commercial arm, Simba Safe Kenya where we go around schools to train them on how to secure themselves when moving about town unattended.” adds Ms Kaberia.

They invested Sh120,000 in buying mascots, downloaded literature on child safety and formulated and localised a child safety programme that they used in public and private schools.

“Each child pays Sh500 and in a month we visit at least three schools or an average of nine schools in a term where we earn about Sh300,000,” says Ms Munyendo.

To ease their budgetary constraints, the co-founders hire employees (actors, comedians ad musicians) on temporary basis when they have a lot of work. other items needed for the job.

“Child safety is very serious but no one looks at its impact to the society, school and a parent’s workplace community when a child is kidnappes,” says Ms Kaberia.

“We have engaged various corporate companies that have started training them on how to train their children on safety.”

For corporates, the duo charge Sh20,000 per session. They are also working on Kenya’s first book on child safety after receiving a nod from the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development.

“A company must appreciate its employees, other chores away from work to get their full production capacity. Just look at the 2018 Best Employer Survey…firms that won have child clinics and playgrounds as well as a nanny room for the breastfeeding mothers,” says Ms Kaberia.

Ms Munyendo says when a child is reported lost, employees leave their workplaces to launch a manhunt. This, she adds adversely affects a firm’s productivity.

“We need to be pro-active in ensuring employee welfare include best interests of children,” she says.

The two also run the Missing Child Network that has helped re-unite 126 lost children with their families, has had 63 placed at government run child facilities and are still helping 89 children find their parents.

The company has three employees who man their online sites handling ‘missing children’ reports round the clock.

They have teamed up with children officers and police manning children’s desks as well children’s home to run the service.

“We have mainly trained children in private schools but have also enjoyed sponsorship from corporates to train children in some public schools,” says Ms Munyendo.

Their vision is to expand their services across Kenya as well as have videos on child safety published for sale to local schools.