Street outreach
Where the children are.
Outreach is the front door of Wema's work. Trained workers meet street-connected children on their terms, in their places, until trust is built and a different future becomes possible.
Why outreach matters
No child is reached from behind a desk.
Every child Wema has ever helped was first met somewhere ordinary — a market corner, a beachfront, a rubbish heap, a bus stage. Outreach is the patient, unglamorous work of being present in those places, again and again, until a relationship becomes possible.
It is slow by design. The children we meet have every reason not to trust an adult with a promise. So we lead with consistency, not pressure — and let each child choose the moment they're ready to step toward something new.
The outreach journey
From a street corner to a way home.
Four stages, every one led by the child's pace — not ours.
We find them
Outreach workers walk the markets, beaches, bus stops and dumpsites where street-connected children gather — learning names, faces and routines.
We build trust
Consistency over weeks and months. A meal, a conversation, a familiar face — until a child believes a different life is possible.
We assess & plan
Every child is different. We assess health, history and family ties, then design a path with them — rescue, rehabilitation, school or reunification.
We walk them home
Wherever it's safe, the goal is family. We trace, prepare and support relatives — then stay close for the long after.
How we work
The long road back, one street corner at a time.
Pulling a child off the street rarely works. The children we meet have learned to survive by reading adults very, very carefully — and what they need first is an adult who keeps showing up.
Trust first, always
Outreach starts with showing up — week after week, at the same place, at the same time — until the children we meet trust that we mean what we say.
Walk alongside, never around
We don't pull children off the street. We walk with them, understand their stories, and create the moment where stepping into care is their choice.
Across Mombasa
Bamburi, Kisauni, Mtwapa, Likoni — our outreach workers go where children are, working in coordination with local government, police and partner organisations.
In the communities we serve
Rooted where the need is greatest.
Where we go
Into the places others walk past.
Our team works in the informal settlements and dumpsite communities where many street-connected children come from — not just to rescue, but to strengthen the families and neighbourhoods that can keep children safe in the first place.
How we show up
Practical help, side by side.
Outreach isn't only conversations. It's sleeves-up community work — building, repairing, serving — done together with residents. Trust is built through what we do, not only what we say.
Outreach in numbers
Presence, measured.
Figures pending Wema confirmation before launch.
- Children reached through outreach
- 0+
- Communities across Mombasa County
- 0
- Rescue & referral response line
- 0/7
- On Mombasa's streets since 1993
- 0yrs
Children reached through outreach
Communities across Mombasa County
Rescue & referral response line
On Mombasa's streets since 1993
Outreach in action
On the ground, where it counts.
Our outreach team out in Mombasa's communities — building, serving, and standing alongside the families and children we walk with.
Photographs from recent Wema Centre outreach activities. Click any tile to view full size, then use arrow keys to browse.
Spotted a child in need?
Tell our outreach team — in confidence.
If you've seen a child sleeping rough, begging, or otherwise in danger across Mombasa, you can refer them to our team confidentially. We'll assess gently and respond appropriately — no police contact unless safeguarding requires it.
Connected work
Outreach is the front door.
Children we meet on the street move through our four programme pillars — and many find their way home through the patient work of Protection & Care.
Outreach figures and some copy are placeholders pending Wema's confirmed programme details — photography is from recent Wema Centre outreach activities.