The Metanoia Foundation provides free psychological support to vulnerable, orphaned, abandoned, and neglected young children living in orphanages and children’s homes who might otherwise have limited access to these services.
Through play-based and trauma-informed approaches, we help children begin the journey from trauma to healing, from silence to expression, and from instability to hope.
Play therapy is a form of counselling for young children that uses play as a way to communicate. Because children often cannot explain their feelings in words, toys and drawing help them express and work through difficult experiences. Over time, play helps a child build trust and feel safe.
Psychotherapy is a psychological approach in which a trained professional meets regularly with a child. Through conversation, attunement, and other creative activities, it helps a child make sense of what has happened and find healthy ways of processing their feelings.
The first years of life are when a child learns what it means to feel safe, loved, and understood. When those years are marked by loss, separation, or neglect, the effects can reach into how a child learns, trusts, and grows.
With steady care and the right support, early hurt does not have to define a child’s future. That is why The Metanoia Foundation works with children while they are young, and alongside the adults who care for them.
Our work with children is made possible by caring people who give their time and ideas. Two programmes bring them into that work, and in both, the child always comes first.
Children in our partner homes meet familiar, kind faces who return week after week. Through play and conversation, a child learns that they matter, and that grown-ups can be trusted.
Volunteers receive routine training in child and developmental interventions, and psychology students and graduates gain hands-on experience.
Every campaign and fundraiser begins with a thought for the children: how can they feel seen and supported? Ambassadors help communities understand children’s mental health and bring that care closer to the children we serve.
Young people aged 12 to 24 find their voice and build leadership skills, guided by our Youth Advisory Board.
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Number of children living in children’s homes
Children’s homes recorded in government data
Stable, caring relationship is what resilient children most often need
The Early Childhood Support (ECS) project focuses on providing therapeutic support to young children in orphanages and children’s homes who have experienced separation, abandonment, neglect, or early trauma.
Learn MoreThe Nairobi Children’s Rescue Centre is The Metanoia Foundation’s first implementation partner, providing shelter and essential care for orphaned and abandoned children aged 0–7 in Nairobi, Kenya. Through this partnership, we work together to provide psychological support that supports the emotional wellbeing of the children in their care. The photo above shows the play therapy room we built for the children at the centre, a space of their own to play and begin to heal.
Learn MoreTogether, we can make a greater impact.
Transformation through compassion.
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