Rooted in Kakuma
Run by Turkana Needy Children's Home in Kenya and funded by supporters in Australia through Interseed International.
Our story
For seventeen years Pastor John and Pamela Eyanae have lived and worked at Turkana Needy Children's Home, serving the most vulnerable children in Kakuma and four surrounding villages.
What began as a pastoral outreach now reaches more than 2,000 people. The Kakuma Project channels Australian and international support into that locally led work.
More about Kakuma
The Turkana people of northwest Kenya are among the poorest in Africa. Long droughts and little access to clean water, medical care or schooling leave thousands of children malnourished, at risk of disease, and often living on the streets.
Kakuma sits near the borders with South Sudan, Uganda and Ethiopia. The four villages the project serves, Kabokorit, Kalemchuch, Nadapal and Komudei, surround the town.
Where we work
Kakuma town and the villages of Kabokorit, Kalemchuch, Nadapal and Komudei, in Turkana County, northwest Kenya.
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How it works
All program delivery happens in Kakuma. Australian gifts flow through a registered charity so they are tax-deductible.
Turkana Needy Children's Home
A community-based organisation registered with, and reporting to, Kenyan Social Services. TNCH sponsors children through primary, secondary and tertiary education and runs the meals, teaching and mentorship programs.
Interseed International
A registered Australian charity with deductible gift recipient status. Interseed processes donations for the project with no administration costs deducted. interseed.org.au
The people behind it
A small, hands-on team: Australia for fundraising and governance, Kenya for delivery on the ground.
Prof. Roderick Drew AM
International Director, Australia
Innocent Ladu
Program partner, fundraising and mentoring, Australia
Pastor John Eyanae
Director, TNCH, Kenya
Pamela Eyanae
Co-director, TNCH, Kenya
On the ground, social worker Zipporah Esekon visits sponsored children at school, walks alongside their families and leads TNCH's work with street-connected youth.
Mentoring, in development
Sponsorship pays the fees. The children also need encouragement, study support and a sense of what is possible. A program pairing Australian volunteers with sponsored students, supported by the TNCH social work team, rolls out in stages through 2026.
What we hold to
Transparency
Income and expenditure statements are available through Interseed. Designated funds go to program delivery.
Locally led
Every program is run by Kenyan staff on the ground.
Sustainability
Schools, teachers and mentors that outlast any single gift, not aid dependency.