Who We Are
Ruben Centre is a faith-based Charitable Trust striving for an empowered and just Mukuru community by providing quality education, health, financial and social services to children and families in the area. Run by the Christian Brothers African Province, it is one of eight Christian Brothers project sites across Africa, and offers a vital source of community development programmes to the residents of one of the largest slums in Nairobi.
Ruben Centre: Past, Present & Future.
For over 10 years now Ruben Centre has had an official guiding document that dictates the operations and directives to fulfilling it’s vision and mission. The Strategic Plan was the brainchild of Br. Frank O’Shea and is implemented by different project staff of Ruben Centre. At the end of 2020, Ruben Centre launched its 3rd Strategic Plan that is running to the year 2025. The button below will redirect you to the soft copies of the current Strategic Plan.
Our Programs
Ruben Centre runs 29 different development programs, spread across 5 primary categories.
Ruben Health Centre Clinician assessing patient
Health
Ruben Health Centre was established in 1992, starting as a humble tin shed that was supported by the African Education Fund, a Japanese NGO. In 2003, the Christian Brothers took over the administration of the center and constructed a new clinic, which significantly improved the quality of services offered. Since then, Ruben Health Centre has expanded its range of services, making a significant impact on the residents of Mukuru Slums and beyond. Today, the health facility is a hub of medical excellence, providing a wide range of health services to the community.
Children who are abled differently posing for a photo.
Education
Ruben Centre's top priority is to enhance access to and provide high-quality primary, secondary, and vocational education to children residing in the Mukuru slums. The A.E.F. Ruben Primary & Junior School are critical part of this effort and is sponsored by the Christian Brothers. The school boasts an impressive enrolment of more than 3500 students and is staffed by a team of 67 teachers, including 51 national and county government teachers and 16 project teachers. The dedicated educators at the institution are committed to delivering quality education to disadvantaged children in the Mukuru slums, enabling them to create a better future for themselves and their communities.
Mothers undertaking a catering course.
Social & Economic Empowerment
Ruben Centre aims to provide livelihood opportunities to extremely vulnerable women and youth in Mukuru Slums. It uses theoretical and hands-on skills training in different handcrafts to ensure professional, innovative, holistic and technical input that enhances their work opportunities and gives greater awareness around business development and management.
The streets of Mukuru kwa Reuben, home to Ruben Centre and 400,000 others.
Advocacy & Networking
Advocacy and Networking is Ruben Centre’s fourth strategic direction in the five-year 2020-2025 strategic plan for Ruben Centre. This strategic objective is embedded in a wider advocacy and network of the Christian Brother’s strategic objective adopted in 2014 in Nairobi. Being an amplifier of the social and community issues affecting Mukuru, the Advocacy and Networking department is integral in pushing for the just and empowerment of Mukuru.
Ruben Centre & GIZ staff during an MoU drafting workshop.
Organisational Capacity
Having strong organizational capacity is essential for Ruben Centre to achieve its intended impact and sustain its programs and activities in the long run. This requires having skilled and motivated staff, robust systems and processes, adequate resources, strong partnerships, and effective communication channels both within the organization and with external stakeholders.
OUR IMPACT
As the only community center and "one-stop shop" in Kwa Ruben, our diverse range of projects at Ruben Centre enables choice and facilitates positive change for individuals caught in the cycle of poverty. Their vulnerability is particularly pronounced due to the lack of government and donor-funded investments in this specific slum area. Over the past two years, numerous international studies have highlighted the negative impacts experienced by the Mukuru community as a result of the minimal attention and support received from the Kenya National and County Governments.
Through participatory development and community engagement, Ruben Centre has maximized available opportunities and taken deliberate action to mitigate and address the challenges faced by residents living in the informal settlement of Mukuru. What initially began as a small school housed in a few tin shed classrooms in 2000 has now evolved into a catalyst for community development, striving towards the vision of a just and empowered Mukuru Community.
Improved access to Ruben Centre has led to the establishment of 29 projects, positioning Ruben Centre as a key provider of health programs, innovative school-based initiatives, human development training, and community empowerment. It is also the only government-affiliated school in the Mukuru Kwa Ruben slum area. The implementation of funded projects has resulted in remarkable growth in various sectors. On any given working day, an estimated 4,000 individuals utilize the facilities offered by the Centre.
Ruben Centre's dedication to participatory development and its multifaceted approach to addressing the needs of the community have made a significant impact on the lives of Mukuru residents. By providing essential services and opportunities for empowerment, Ruben Centre continues to play a pivotal role in fostering positive change within the slum.
3500+
Students at our Primary & Junior Secondary School.
A.E.F Ruben Primary & Junior School has continued to offer free-quality primary education to children in the Mukuru Slums and beyond. The school is a public-sponsored. Thousands of students have completed their primary education with support from Ruben Centre. The school has 71 teachers: 39 by the government, 25 paid by Christian Brothers and 7 ECD County teachers. 50 children with disability are also accessing free education through the Ruben Centre Special Unit.
Over 35+
years of serving Mukuru Community.
Ruben Centre was started in 1986 by a Mercy Sister, Sr. Mary Killeen who saw the need to start a primary school for children in the slums who did not have access to education. She handed over the Centre to a Japanese organization ;African Education Fund (AEF) who started the first clinic in 1993. The Japanese handed over the organization to Christian Brothers- Australia in 2000 and they are currently offering 29 programs tailored to empower the Mukuru community.
6000+ Women
accessed our Maternity services.
The Ruben Health Centre Maternity Unit was officially opened on 22nd June 2018. The vision of the Maternity is offer dignified, accessible, respectful and affordable maternity health care services to the women of Mukuru and beyond and in a period of two years, we have managed to serve over 6500 mothers, delivered over 6000 babies and referred over 500 mothers to other health facilities for specialized care.
Director’s corner
Navigating 2024: Challenges, Progress and a Vision for Ruben Centre
2024 has been unlike any other year for me. After all our work last year in re-establishing the vitality of all things at Ruben, including investing in a mid-term review of our current five-year Strategic Plan, the establishment of Ruben Centre as a Trust with five appointed trustees, and the appointment of two new Managers, surely this year would simply be plain sailing.
Get Involved
You can become part of the Ruben Centre by getting involved with us in various ways. Ruben Centre welcomes people to join us by volunteering, donating to support our programs, signing up to become a Ruben Centre Champion or by visiting us to have a first hand experience of the work happening at Ruben Centre.
Be our Champion
We need champions (people, organisations, governments) who will work with us to create future opportunities and further the development opportunities for the Mukuru Community. You can do this by fundraising for our programs, linkages with possible donors and create awareness about our work to friends and social networks.
Volunteer with us
Are you a game changer? Are you looking for a place to volunteer your expertise in a Community Based Organisation in the heart of Mukuru Slums? Ruben Centre is looking for professional volunteers in areas of health, education, community development and areas of Organisational capacity to join us. You will get a fulfilling experience.
Donate
Our Programs are donor funded with our major donor being Edmund Rice Foundation Australia. We welcome individuals and organisations to donate towards Ruben Centre’s Different Programs. Your donation goes a long way to put a smile on the faces of the less privileged and the vulnerable people living in the slums of Mukuru.
Donors
Partners
