LARCOD was founded by people local to this area.
 
We see the needs of vulnerable children and women and hope for a brighter future for our community. Some of us were orphaned or vulnerable children ourselves. Some of us have been able to achieve education and good employment. We are inspired to help others do the same, but there are currently so many in need that it is very challenging.

Erick is the principal of a local secondary school.
In addition to being Chairman of LARCOD, he cares for and supports three orphans.

Hellen's mother died when she was 8 and she and her 5 siblings were separated into different households. Life was a struggle both physically and emotionally, but she was able to stay in school and become a trained counselor.  In addition to her many activities with LARCOD, she is employed at a hospital and often takes vulnerable children into her home.

Organizer Secretary and Representative of Youth Affairs

Joshua grew up in a Kisumu slum. His father died when he was small and his mother died eight years later, which left him responsible for the care of his 5 siblings. The challenges he and his siblings faced to stay in school and find basic necessities opened his eyes. These experiences made him passionate about supporting other children in this situation and his work with LARCOD.

I am a Kenyan citizen aged thirty one and a founding member of LARCOD. I was born in the year 1981 in Nyallenda area in Kisumu slum and stayed there for some period before moving to Mayatta slum, also in Kisumu. My toddler years are not well documented besides clinic cards and some old clothing that are associated with me.
Being a third born and a first male son in a family of eight with struggling parents in a slum area of the town, I learnt and experienced many challenges associated with slum areas across the nation and indeed the continent. My greatest challenge came when my mother died eight years after the death of my father, who had no single investment to sustain the family after his death. I was left with five siblings to take care of and nothing at all to rely on either in payment of school fees or even for family sustenance. Moving back to the rural area our family came from was a poor option and staying back in town was too costly for this orphaned family that had nothing to count on in the slums of Manyatta.

The best advice that our relatives could offer was to move back to the rural area our family came from. However, there was no single person ready to welcome us into their home, since their homes were surrounded by orphaned children who also needed assistance.

We did stay briefly at our rural home, but the condition were too harsh because some of my siblings were schooling in Kisumu and one brother had already registered for his final high school examination and one sister was to sit for her final primary school examination. I had to make the bold decision of moving back to Kisumu with my entire family and try finding my foot hold there. This is when I realized that nothing good comes cheaply!

The challenges I faced with my siblings opened my eyes. This was when I got to know that there were so many children going through the same challenges as we did and this was when the thought of supporting other children passionately struck my mind. LARCOD was born and since then I have never looked back.

Daniel’s father died when he was young and he had to struggle to find school fees. He was able to graduate and is employed in Banking. He and his wife have brought multiple orphans into their home, but they see more in need then they can help on their own, so they helped form LARCOD.

Photo Gallery

Titus is a bright boy who's grandparents are raising him and several other children. LARCOD helps him stay in school.
 

Monica fosters Fidel in her home so that he has good care and a loving family environment. Hellen often visits them.
 

Kerina leads a women's group. They meet at members homes to share information and plan income generating activities.
 

Val's mother belongs to a Women's group which helps her generate income to feed her children.