About Undugu Society
Identity of Undugu Society of Kenya

Undugu is drawn from the Kiswahili word ndugu, which is a gender free term denoting blood relationship. Undugu can therefore be interpreted to mean brotherhood or sisterhood. The closest English equivalent is solidarity or comradeship.

The Undugu Society of Kenya was founded in 1973, when the founder, the late Farther Arnold Grol, made his first contact with parking boys on the streets of Nairobi. Indeed, what started as youth recreational centres progressively evolved into what is today one of the leading pioneering street children rehabilitation agencies in Africa. Undugu is also involved in stimulating the socio-economic improvement of low economic communities both in Nairobi and other parts of the country.

Programs run by Undugu Society include children and youth programme, education and training programme, urban poverty programs and income generating units.

Mission Statement
To facilitate the increase of opportunities for street children and marginalised communities in urban informal settlements and rural areas, to sustainably access basic livelihood securities.

Vision Statement
A society that is socially and economically empowered where every person has access to a decent livelihood.

The history of Undugu Society of Kenya dates back to 1973, when the founder of the organisation, the late Father Arnold Grol, made the first attempt, to improve the prospects of street children. These children were at the time commonly referred to as Parking Boys, on account of their function of directing motorists to parking lots.

The phenomenon, which started emerging in the early 1970s, was largely attributed to the rural-urban migration, which also saw the emergence of more slum settlements in the city of Nairobi. Besides depending on tokens of appreciation from motorists, the boys also eked out miserable subsistence from either begging or stealing. At night, they would retreat to their shacks in the slums or simply huddle out in the cold pavements, hopelessly exposed to the harsh weather conditions.

Father Grol together with those who had joined him in this mission began to spend time on the streets, attempting to develop rapport with the boys. Gradually the boys started explaining their circumstances. They talked of their poor backgrounds and the inability of their parents to afford education for them and provide basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter. On the streets, they said, they were able to make some money and buy food. Streets became their home where they ate, slept and survived. But still, they would have liked to be provided for and protected like other children of their age. These experiences marked the birth of the Undugu Society of Kenya.
Growth and Development
Over the years, Undugu Society of Kenya has put in place interventions aimed at addressing the phenomenon of street children. These are broadly divided into two, namely, curative and preventive interventions. Curative interventions seek to transform the lives of children who are already on the streets. The main aspects of curative intervention are rescuing of children from the street, provision of shelter, food and clothing, medical care, education and training and finally, reintegration. Preventive interventions, on the other hand, seek to address the underlying factors contributing to the influx of children on to the streets. They entail small enterprise development, employment creation, non-formal education and informal skills training, community health, pursuit of affordable shelter, development of the infrastructure and other community related activities.

Once the underlying issues relating to street children had been understood, the next phase was the acquisition of modest shelter in the form of centres to provide accommodation for the children. The children would come in and out of the centre at will and were under no obligation whatsoever, whenever they used the facilities.

Most of the children who took advantage of the facilities raised the question of education and were enthusiastic about the prospects of going to or back to school. Whereas it was possible to buy school uniform and pay other school levies, which had forced them out of school or prevented their entering school at all, some of the schools would not readmit them. In most instances, the schools felt that these youngsters could not fit back into the normal school routine on account of the character change that they may have undergone while on the streets. This attitudinal position coupled with the learning they had missed made it difficult to take them back to school.

Others were locked out of admission because they were over-aged. This frustration gave rise to the establishment of non-formal education programme responsive to the special needs and unique circumstances of these children.

After  the boys, came the girls
Up to 1990, Undugu Society of Kenya was associated more with boys than girls. In 1973, when the Society began, girls were hardly seen on the streets of Nairobi. Today, there are almost as many girls as boys. The vulnerability of girls makes it especially necessary to help them. Their abuse does not only come from the older boys alone, but also from men hunting for cheap sex who find street girls easily trapped by their shillings. Cases of girls conceiving children on the streets are not new. They stand the risk of being involved in prostitution and suffering infectious diseases. The advent of HIV/AIDS has even made the already bad situation worse. It is in response to this situation that USK currently runs a full programme for girls.

Founder - Father Arnold Grol
Father Arnold Grol was born in Groningen, in the North of Holland on the 6th February 1924. He joined the Society of Missionaries of Africa, often referred to as 'White Fathers' in 1943 at the age of 19 having rejected as easy life to do what he felt will give him more meaning to life.

Father Grol had a typical rich teenage life; his father having owned a clothing factory. But he chose not to follow the same line. It was one weekend, at the age of 17, when he was with friends at a seaside resort when he had a sudden change of heart. For six years, he studied philosophy and theology both in Holland and Scotland and was able to pronounce an oath of commitment to Africa as a member of the Society of the Missionaries of Africa on the 27th July 1950. He was ordained as a Missionary Priest in the following year; a life he so much loyally lived until Monday 18th August 1997, when he died at the age of 73.

Father Grol's first missionary appointment was to what was 1hen called Tanganyika, in the area of Sumbawanga, along L. Tanganyika, where he worked for about 20 years in a variety of pastoral responsibilities. Part of his responsibilities was to supervise and raise funds for the construction of the cathedral, several parish churches and a sister's convent.

In 1972, Fr. Grol took a sabbatical leave before proceeding for a renewal course at the Ggaba Pastoral Institute in Uganda. It was at the end of this course when Fr. Grol was appointed to Our Lady of Visitation Parish in Makadara, Nairobi, Kenya and was transferred two years later, in 1994, to St Theresa's Parish Eastleigh, where he served till the time of his death.

During his 23 years of stay in Eastleigh area of Nairobi, Fr. Grol initiated several projects to serve the people, he felt were in particularly need of assistance particularly the marginalised ones. His contact with parking boys, and him having been nicknamed the oldest 'parking boy', led him over the years to found Undugu Society of Kenya. He never got tired of1he search for viable methods 1hrougb which these children could be rehabilitated into responsible men and women of the society. It was a long struggle. Many could have given up. The children were always suspicious of him. But little and little he began to win their confidence and friendship developed.

And so night became day and day became night and the seed that was planted by Fr. Grol sprouted and bore fruits. Fr. Grol later on started street boys' Programme in Changamwe, Mombasa and Prison Ministry Programme designed to look into their spiritual nourishment and education and another programme for refugees.

For Undugu Society of Kenya, Fr. Grol was not only the founder but also served it as Director, Chairman of the Board and later on, as Patron. In fact, he was Patron till his time of death.

Grol: he gave our children new hope
Editorial, courtesy The Daily Nation on the week Father Grol died
There are times when society's real heroes are rarely known. They sacrifice a great deal for their lesser endowed brethren in order that they may make the world a better place to live in and leave it better than they found it. They neither boast nor seek publicity; they just work hard, very hard.

What does the name Grol, Father Arnold Grol, mean to you? You have probably heard more about Kenya's street people from the politicians, but none of them has done as much as Fr Grol has for them in terms of trying to make them better citizens. Fr Grol would not have turned his love for the street children into a political weapon to win him votes. ,

He could have led an aristocrat's life born as he was into affluence. He could have become an entrepreneur; expanding his father's considerable textile business or diversifying into other areas. The opportunities for a great future were abundant and all he had to do was invest wisely in industry, stocks or business.

He did invest wisely and that is why there exists the Undugu Society of Kenya today. It was an idea born in the slums of Mathare and nurtured to fruition by Fr. Grol. He decided to invest not his money, but his energies, faith and time in rehabilitating street children and helping turn them into responsible citizens capable of making their own lives and that of the larger society better.

Born in Holland, young Grol decided that ministering the word of God was what he would do and his first posting was in Tanzania, taking him away from the relative comfort of Europe to the new climes and poverty of Africa. In 1974, he was posted to the then Makadara Parish that included the sprawling Mathare slum area.

The point is that Fr. Grol's assignment was to preach, but he realised that he could not minister the word of God to children who had to steal food to keep body and soul together; who fought everyday over everything and anything and who seemed condemned to a life of criminality and prostitution. Interesting such children in the word of God is no easy task.

Many will remember the Undugu Band. Fr Grol found out that the boys of the Mathare slums liked boxing and playing music and so was born the band and a boxing club. The children also told Fr Grol that they wanted to work and earn an honest living and that is how he started carpentry workshops that soon developed into a vocational training centre.

Need we say more? Yes, may this great soul rest in peace.

Governance Structure
Consultative Committee
The Consultative Committee is a middle level management structure within
USK comprising of unit managers and programme co-ordinators. The committee is the planning, monitoring and evaluation team of USK.

Management Committee
The Management Committee, which is headed by the Executive Director, is responsible for the day-to-day running of USK.

Board of Directors
A voluntary chairperson elected by the Council heads the Board of Directors. The organ is responsible for policy formulation. The current chairperson is Mr. Denis Afande, a retired diplomat and civil servant.

Board of Trustees
Membership to the Board of Trustees is also voluntary and elective. It is the organ upon which, the ultimate control of the property of the organisation is vested. The chairman of the Board of Directors is also the chairman of the Board of Trustees. Under the new Retirement Benefits Authority (RBA), two members of the pensionable staff are now members of the Board of Trustees of USK

The Council
The council is the supreme decision-making body in USK. It comprises of the Patron, members of the Boards of Directors and Trustees, Management Committee, Representatives from Undugu's operation centres and members of the Friends' Circle. The Council normally meets once every year. The chairperson of the Board of Directors also chairs the council.