The Mango Tree Orphan Support Trust

1.0 Background of The Mango Tree Kenya (TMTK)

TMTK was established in 2006 with the primary aim of providing integrated community-based support to orphans and families affected by HIV/AIDS in Homa Bay County, Kenya. This region, situated along the shores of Lake Victoria, was one of the hardest hit by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The devastating impact of the virus left thousands of children orphaned and facing uncertain futures. TMTK was created as a response to this crisis, working towards ensuring that orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) receive the care, support, and opportunities they need to thrive.

The organization envisions "a thriving child in a safe community and a healthy environment" and works toward this vision through its mission: to facilitate mechanisms that guarantee children’s safety, growth, and development within safe communities and healthy environments. This is done primarily through capacity-building initiatives aimed at empowering individuals and communities to take charge of their situations.

1.1 Programmatic Approach

TMTK’s programmatic approach is built on three guiding models: a Community-Based Approach, a Human-Centered Design Model, and a Co-Creation Model. These models allow the communities to be the key decision-makers in addressing their challenges, with TMTK acting as a facilitator. TMTK works through three key programmatic areas:

a) The Mango Tree Orphan Support Trust: This program addresses the immediate needs of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). It focuses on creating safe, nurturing environments for these children by providing family-based foster care. Additionally, it emphasizes climate-smart agriculture, which reduces the harmful effects of climate change while providing sustainable livelihoods for families.

b) The Mango Tree Education Trust: This program focuses on providing access to quality education for vulnerable girls, survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), adolescent girls, and young women. Through the construction and completion of The Mango Tree Girls School and Rescue Center, TMTK is working to provide a safe and supportive environment for vulnerable girls to access secondary education.

c) Mango Tree Farmers Cooperative: This initiative transforms subsistence farming among OVC caregivers into sustainable agribusiness ventures, allowing families to generate income and improve their livelihoods.

The organization’s projects focus on rural areas in Kenya that have been deeply affected by HIV and AIDS. Poverty, limited access to education, environmental destruction, and resource depletion pose major challenges to these communities, where many children drop out of school after primary education. TMTK also addresses climate change, working to create sustainable solutions for the future.

1.2 Governance Structure

TMTK is governed by a Board of Trustees (BoT) with long-standing experience in various fields. The BoT provides strategic oversight to the organization, while the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), who also serves as the Director, manages daily operations. The organization employs 20 staff members who possess expertise in community programming, education development, and climate-smart agriculture. These staff members are supported by a network of 175 village volunteers.

1.3 Core Values

The organization's core values reflect its commitment to empowering communities and fostering sustainable development. These values include:

Respect and Collaboration: TMTK builds genuine relationships with people who share common goals, respecting local knowledge and expertise. The organization believes rural communities can lead significant changes in their lives, and its work builds on the communities’ solutions.

Accountability and Integrity: TMTK is accountable to the people it aims to assist, as well as to the government and its partners. The organization maintains transparency, strong financial accountability, and honest communication.

Courage and Innovation: TMTK supports communities in challenging the root causes of poverty and advocates for gender equality and child rights. It also protects vulnerable groups from harm.

Sustainability and Empowerment: TMTK’s projects are tailored to meet the real needs of the people, encouraging grassroots empowerment and promoting self-sufficiency. This approach also helps stimulate social responsibility within the community.

2.0 Critical Success Factors (CSFs)

TMTK’s approach has led to several significant achievements:

Community-Based Orphan Care: TMTK has provided community-based care to over 8,000 orphans. This approach, which moves away from institutional orphanages, offers a nurturing environment for the children within their own communities.

Community Sensitization and empowerment: TMTK’s participatory processes have helped change the mindset of local communities. Many now understand the importance of contributing their time and resources toward their own development, care for their children, involved in livelihood improvement and environmental conservation.

Local Volunteers: TMTK has developed and engaged a group of local champions, including village volunteers and community development support committees. These individuals act as essential links between the communities and project staff.

Alumni Network: Over 4,000 orphans and vulnerable children supported by TMTK have completed tertiary education and are now working in various professional fields across Kenya. They form a formidable alumni network that actively supports TMTK’s work.

Support for Children with Disabilities: TMTK has provided corrective surgeries and education for over 100 children with disabilities, including the blind, deaf, and physically challenged, many of whom have gone on to find employment.

Partnerships: TMTK has developed reciprocal partnerships with organizations such as TMT (UK), Egpaf, LVCT Health, GlobalGiving, and B1G1. These partnerships have provided financial and technical support for TMTK’s programs.

Advocacy Networks: TMTK is a member of various networks, including the Homa Bay Sustainable Development Trust (HOSDET), Lake Region Food Systems Network, and FEMNET, amplifying the voices of vulnerable groups in the community.

3. Key Areas of Intervention

TMTK focuses on five key areas:

a) Family-Based Care: Promotes community-based, family-oriented care for OVC as a better alternative to institutional orphanages.

b) Education and Skills Development: Provides scholarships, builds school infrastructure, and offers vocational training for disadvantaged children, especially girls.

c) Health and Wellbeing: Supports children affected by HIV/AIDS, conducts corrective surgeries, provides sexual and reproductive health education, and offers water and sanitation services.

d) Environment and Livelihoods: Promotes climate-smart agriculture and environmental conservation while supporting alternative livelihoods for vulnerable households.

e) Institutional Capacity Development: Strengthens governance and management structures to ensure organizational sustainability.

4. Achievements

TMTK’s impact includes:

• Supporting 8,000 orphans in their communities and transitioned 35 orphans from institutional care to family-based homes.

• Enabling over 3,000 children to complete their education and graduate with professional and technical skills.

• Empowering 1,692 farmers with climate-smart agricultural skills.

• Establishing 1,127 women-led village enterprises.

• Rescuing over 100 girls from sexual exploitation.

• Planting over 314,000 tree seedlings as part of its environmental conservation efforts.

TMTK has become a trusted partner in building stronger, self-reliant communities through these interventions.