Our hope is to see lives redeemed by Christ, families reconciled through grace, and students become change agents in their communities.

We know that the best place for this to happen is inside a family. Over 80% of street children have parents or relatives.

While there are a variety of reasons a child lives on the street. This includes abuse, neglect, poverty, tribal issues, blended families, etc. But very seldom is it because they are orphaned. A child’s parents may not be able to afford school fees which puts them on the street during school hours and then they feel like they can’t return home.

At Milele, we seek to reintegrate them with a healthy and safe family member. The safety of the child is always our top priority which means that sometimes a child is reconnected with a caring aunt, uncle, grandparent, or sibling. Even when their homes and families are safe to return to, the boys feel shame or fear to come back. However, the parents are longing for their return!

“We didn’t think we would ever see you again. Thank God you are back home!” - Mother of a Milele Student

Milele Home provides a temporary family placement while our social workers seek the best reintegration process for the individual. With many years of disconnection on the street, the process to locate a family member and begin the healing and reconciliation process between student and family can take a long time. Our work is done with tender care and perseverance.

Our program works to empower and promote family dignity over dependence on our program. Therefore, we work with the students’ family to encourage and equip them to care for the child. Our social workers and counselor aim to restore the child and the family’s relationship by visiting frequently and working to strengthen the family as a whole.

We provide students with skills such as farming and taking care of livestock so when they return home, they are able to help provide and empower their own family and community. When a family is strengthened, a community becomes stronger.

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