A street in Nairobi in the early light, ordinary life moving through it.

Built from the inside

Second Chances was built by people who lived it.

Second Chances was not created by people looking into the child care system from the outside.

An open door letting light into a quiet room.

Where it begins

Second Chances began on the inside.

It was born from the lived experiences of care leavers, caregivers and child protection professionals who understood both the value of care and the challenges young people face when leaving it.

For Peter K. Muthui, the journey began with the loss of his parents at a tender age, followed by separation from his siblings for two years before being reunited at a Nairobi Children's Home.

Like many children in care, he spent years hoping that one day someone would arrive and take him, giving him the gift of family.

A path leading toward the morning light over open country.

I watched a friend leave for a foster family. I told myself, ‘I will be next.’ I was not next.

Peter, on growing up in care

Many paths into care

Peter's story was one of many.

Every young person in care had a different path that brought them there. Some had lost parents, others had experienced abuse, neglect, abandonment or family breakdown.

Their stories were different, but many shared the same hopes, uncertainties and challenges of growing up without permanent family care.

Documents and a pen resting on a warm wooden table.

The return

He went back to the place that raised him.

Years later, Peter returned to the same children's home as a social worker and later as a programmes manager.

Together with other care leavers, caregivers and child protection professionals, he saw that many young people were leaving care without the support they needed to start independent lives.

Together, they knew something had to change.

The promise

Heal, belong, build.

Second Chances was born from that shared belief and as a promise that no care leaver should have to face adulthood alone.

Today, this promise lives on through care leavers, caregivers, partners and supporters working together to ensure every young person gets an opportunity to heal, belong and build a better future for themselves.

In his words

A message from the founder.

I have seen what happens when someone simply refuses to give up on a young person. I have watched lives turn quietly, completely, toward something better.

That transformation is not complicated. It does not require perfection. It requires presence: someone who stays.

There are no chances in a family; family will always be there. We are giving second chances at life. To every young person reading this: you were never meant to do this alone. And now, you don't have to.

Peter Kamau Muthui

Founder, Second Chances · Executive Director, Child in Family Focus Kenya

Our mission

Meet them at the most vulnerable moment.

To walk alongside young people leaving institutional care across Kenya with healing, education, justice, and a community that will not disappear.

Our vision

Leaving care is not being left behind.

A Kenya where every care leaver has a bridge to their full potential, and a second chance whenever they need one.

The people who stay

Led by lived experience.

A team that leads from the inside, and a board that holds us accountable.

Peter Kamau Muthui

Founder & Director

Care leaver, social worker, and care-reform leader. Co-founder of Child in Family Focus Kenya.

Purity Waweru

Programme Lead

Trauma-informed practitioner guiding our confidential support for young persons.

Francis Kanyoi

Finance

Supports the financial management of our programs and ensures compliance with financial regulations.

Florence Muteti

Programme Coordinator

Manages the implementation of our programs and ensures that they are delivered effectively and efficiently.

A path leading toward the morning light.

This is a story still being written. Yours can be part of it.

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