Our Story
It began with making room. Shayanewako did not begin as a formal institution. It began with a family responding to children who needed care, protection and somewhere to belong.
Our Vision
A future where every child, woman and family has a safe place to belong, the chance to thrive, and the power to build a life of dignity and independence.
Our Mission
Shayanewako moves children, women and families from crisis to stability through shelter, education, counselling and livelihood support, enabling them to rebuild and thrive with dignity and independence.
Ubuntu: The Philosophy We Practise
I am because we are. Ubuntu is not a slogan. It is a daily responsibility to uphold dignity, practise solidarity and recognise the strengths of every person. It reminds us that independence must never mean isolation.
We Do Not Want People to Need Us Forever
Our purpose is not to create permanent reliance on Shayanewako. It is to provide meaningful support during periods of vulnerability while helping people build the capacity, confidence and opportunities to shape their own futures.
Our Name. Our Philosophy. Our Purpose.
Shayanewako is our inheritance. Ubuntu is our philosophy. Human dignity is our commitment. The wisdom carried in our name finds expression in Ubuntu, the African philosophy that reminds us, “I am because we are.” Our humanity is interconnected, and community carries both the privilege and the responsibility of caring for its own.
Ubuntu is not simply a philosophy we admire. It shapes how we welcome a child needing protection, walk alongside a woman rebuilding her life, encourage a young person pursuing education and support a family through uncertainty. Shayanewako: through every season, you belong.
From Shelter to Opportunity
Experience taught us that safety, while essential, is only the beginning. A family experiencing vulnerability may need timely support to prevent further instability. These realities shaped Shayanewako's development into an organisation working across protection, education, wellbeing, livelihoods and community resilience.
A Child Needs More Than Shelter
A child who has experienced disruption needs relationships, education, encouragement and continuity.
A Young Person Needs More Than Good Wishes
A young person leaving care needs preparation, skills, opportunities and support to navigate adulthood.
A Woman Needs More Than Protection
A woman rebuilding after crisis needs the freedom, resources and confidence to make decisions about her future.
It Began With Making Room
Shayanewako did not begin as a formal institution. It began with a family responding to children who needed care, protection and somewhere to belong. What started as a deeply personal response grew into a wider commitment to supporting children, young people, women and families experiencing vulnerability. Over time, Shayanewako became more than a place of refuge. It became a place where people could recover, learn, rebuild relationships, develop skills and prepare for the next chapter of their lives.
Shayanewako was the name of our founder's father. His name carries a lasting message: whether you have plenty or have nothing, may you always have your people around you through it all. It is a reminder that our worth is not determined by what we possess, that in hardship no one should be left to face life alone, and that human connection and solidarity matter through every season of life.
Shayanewako's early years were sustained largely through personal commitment and locally mobilised resources. As the organisation matures, we are strengthening governance, institutional systems, programme quality, partnerships and sustainable livelihood initiatives. We are building for continuity beyond any individual, with an ambition to remain deeply human in our care, distinctly African in our identity, and increasingly strong in our institutional foundations.
We believe communities possess knowledge, strengths and capabilities that must remain central to the solutions developed alongside them. Our work therefore seeks to strengthen agency rather than dependency, partnership rather than paternalism, and belonging rather than exclusion.
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See what Shayanewako actually does day to day, and the people guiding that work.
