At the beginning of this year, we asked a simple but honest question at the Wezesha Community Centre in Koisamo: What do the children and young people here truly need?
Not what we thought they needed. Not what looks good in a proposal. Just their voices.
Their answers were both clear and unexpected.
Of course, they want to learn computer skills. They want books. They want opportunities. But again, and again, they spoke about something deeper, a place where they can breathe. A place that feels safe. A place where they don’t have to be strong all the time.
One boy told us he comes to the centre because there’s no space to play at home. A girl quietly shared that between school and chores, she has no room to think about her own life. In those moments, we realized that what we are building is more than a program. It is a second home.
So yes, the football sessions will continue. The music classes will go on. The girls’ empowerment program remains a priority. But this year we are paying even closer attention to the things that are easy to miss, the new friendships, the shy child who is beginning to speak up, the young person who is slowly starting to believe that they matter.
That is the real work. Not the activities. The people.
To everyone who has walked this journey with us, thank you for making this space possible. And if you are just discovering us, the invitation is simple: come and visit. Sit with the children. Listen with us. There is always room for one more.