Dear Kenya,

I write this letter not as a politician, not as an expert but as someone who once had no place to call home.

As a child, I knew the cold of sleeping outside, the pain of hunger and the silence that comes with being invisible to the world. But something changed when I was rescued by Wema Centre - a children's home that didn’t just give me food or shelter but dignity, love and hope.

Today, I am a father. A husband. A mentor. A contributor to society. Because someone chose to care.

Now, Kenya stands at a crossroads. Our government is shifting away from institutional care (CCIs) and embracing family- and community-based foster care. The intention is noble. Every child deserves a family. But in this transition, we risk forgetting those still in the shadows - children without safe families to return to, teens who’ve spent their lives in institutions and those too complex for the system to “place.”

What happens to them?

If we close every home without preparing the ground for where they’ll go…

If we silence those of us who’ve lived this reality…

If we prioritize policy over people…

Then we are not reforming care. We are replacing it with risk.

Wema Centre saved lives — mine is just one of many.

So we ask not to stop progress, but to shape it responsibly. We are launching a national call:

#VoicesForTheForgotten – a campaign powered by Streets of Hope to ensure that no child is left behind in the name of reform.

We Urge The Government:

1. To involve care leavers and child rights advocates in the transition process.

2. To strengthen community systems before dismantling institutions.

3. To protect the legacy and expertise of CCIs that have served with integrity.

4. To create safe, loving, well-monitored environments for every child.

We urge citizens:

1. To open your hearts and homes, yes — but also your minds.

2. To ask hard questions and demand child-centered answers.

3. To help us spread truth — that not all institutions were broken. Some healed us.

We urge fellow care leavers:

To speak up. Share your story. Your voice is power.

This is your chance to protect the next child walking a path like yours.

No child should be forgotten. Not in the streets. Not in policy. Not in silence.

Signed,

Joseph Mwangi Ndua

Care Leaver | Wema Centre Alumnus | Advocate | Founder, Streets of Hope

On behalf of every child who still waits to be seen.