This foundation has been established to raise funds to provide support to safe shelters and vocational training institutes for marginalized children and youth, where the activities are based on research and methods developed by Dr. Wanjiku Kaime Atterhög. It all started in 1997 when Wanjiku conducted her doctoral research on street children and their care givers in Kenya. The findings of her research showed that although there were many existing organisations that offered food, shelter and education, many children still returned to the streets. The children narrated to Wanjiku that they were mistreated in these organisations and found it better to remain on the streets. Along with the 12 street children participating in her research, their gang leader and with the help of Wanjiku's brother with his wife, Michael and Francesca Kaime, she founded House of Plenty, a safe shelter for these children. She also developed a training programme at Uppsala University for caregivers working with marginalized children and held the first course in April 1998 where she taught her methods on how to meet childrens needs, but to do it from the childrens perspective. Her research and methods to rehabilitate and reintegrate street children into society eventually became an international training program within SIDA for caregivers in 13 countries in Africa and Asia. So far, 150 care providers from government agencies, NGO's and communitiy-based organisations including doctors, nurses, social workers, teachers, police officers from around the world have participated in her training program. They, in turn, continue to educate others in their respective countries. They have also registered and established regional and national networks of caregivers (ANoCC) through which they continue learning together and support each other and other care providers at the national level to improve the quality of their work. A new course on the HOPE model is offered to undergraduate social work students at Mid-Sweden University since April 2021. When the children in the group home in Kenya grew up and moved out to start their journey as independent individuals, Dr. Wanjiku Kaime Atterhög and her brother, Michael Kaime started a discussion with local people about the need for educational support for poor children in the area. In 2012 they started a free training institute for poor children and youth in the area around the safe shelter - House of Plenty Vocational Training Institute (HOPE-VTI) together with DGC One AB (now Iver AB), a Swedish company which was the main sponsor of the project until December 2020. By combining IT, English, Entrepreneurship and Performing Art the children are equipped with theoretical and practical knowledge that makes them ready to compete in the job market, take on higher education or start their own businesses. The vision is to make the institute self-sufficient by having students run small business at the school as part of the training. The incomes generated from these micro-enterprises will be invested back into the institute. The Board consists of: Mr. Michael Camitz (chairperson), Professor Stefan Swartling Peterson, Professor Beth Maina Ahlberg and Dr. Wanjiku Kaime Atterhög. The foundation's charter will after registration of the Foundation be available at the County Administrative Board of Stockholm. By this petition, we welcome all grants to the Foundation through Bankgiro: 5000-1999 or SWISH 123 099 6538. In case of interest and discussion about cooperation possibilities: Contact Mr Michael Camitz (Michael.camitz@uic.se) or Dr. Wanjiku Kaime Atterhög (wanjiku@houseofplenty.se). The Foundation is politically and religiously independent. Stockholm December 17, 2014 (updated December 2021) Dr. Wanjiku Kaime Atterhög, Founder |
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