Works in progress…Everyone who spends time at The Shoe4Africa Children’s Health Village – whether they are patients, parents, doctors, medical students, or donors being given a tour – leaves with a profound sense that this is no ordinary center for healing the sick child. Few cities can offer such a large green space of healing smack in the center of the city. But imagine a ‘Disney Land for kids’ with Medical excellence and you’ll start to understand our vision
When a young child approaches a medical center typically you’ll have apprehension and maybe fear. The word hospital is a bit scary. So, our buildings are tapered to lessen the perception of height, colorful child-themed paints are used, and likely that kids upon arrival will hear laughter from the patients playing on our soccer pitch, or our basketball court, or maybe playing on our play station and trampoline. All this interaction starts the healing process even before the child steps into our center.
Since opening our doors, on Aug 12th, 2015, we have treated over 1,300,000 million children, created thousands of jobs and remain the only dedicated public children’s hospital in East & Central Africa.
Why?
Perhaps it’s because the ‘Village’ based around our Shoe4Africa Children’s Hospital will care for around 255,500 patients each year in 2026, most of whom come from exceptionally poor and marginalized communities. Patients are referred to us from not only Western Kenya but also from neighboring African countries. It should be noted that there isn’t a single public children’s hospital in East and Central Africa outside of our facilities. We know by creating a village, with as many medical amenities as possible, we can best serve the Kenyan public.
— KEY FACILITIES AT, or coming to, THE VILLAGE —
1. The Shoe4Africa Children’s Hospital (opened 2015) – East & Central Africa’s first public children’s hospital, providing free, life-saving medical care to children from the poorest families. LINK
2. The Shoe4Africa Eat n Run Kitchens (opened 2017) – A nutrition program ensuring hospitalized children and vulnerable patients receive daily, balanced meals to support recovery and long-term health.
3. The Shoe4Africa Lindi House (opened 2017) – An outdoor, annexed play and healing space used by the Child Life Team to support emotional recovery through play, art, and therapy.
4. The Shoe4Africa Sweden House (opened 2017) – An outdoor annexed room providing additional space for therapy, learning, and family support activities within the hospital grounds.
5. The Shoe4Africa Kuunga Mkono Library (opened 2019) – A children’s library offering books, learning materials, Computers, and quiet study space for hospitalized children and those in long-term care.
6. The Shoe4Africa Kuunga Mkono Classrooms (opened 2019) – On-site classrooms allowing long-stay pediatric patients to continue their education during hospitalization. Accredited for patients to take year-end exams.
7. The Shoe4Africa Basketball Court (opened 2018) – A community sports facility promoting physical health, teamwork, and positive youth engagement through basketball. Also where kids can cycle, tricycle, and practice Zumba.
8. The Shoe4Africa Soccer Pitch (opened 2019) – A safe, all-weather community 5-a-side sized astro-turf soccer field supporting youth development, fitness, and social inclusion.
9. The Shoe4Africa Idella Rome Consultant’s House (opened 2025) – Space for twenty consultants to work by the side of the main hospital decongesting the center.
10. The Shoe4Africa Juli Anne Perry Children’s Cancer Hospital (planned opening Summer 2026) – Sub-Saharan Africa’s first children’s cancer hospital, giving children with cancer access to diagnosis, treatment, and hope. LINK
11. The MTRH Harry Dyer Burns Unit (planned opening Summer 2026) – A dedicated pediatric burns unit providing specialized treatment, rehabilitation, and recovery services for severely injured children.
12. Lion Park (concept stage) – A planned therapeutic green space designed as a healing park for children undergoing medical treatment and their families. (planning stages).
13. The Shoe4Africa Katie House (Women’s Hostel) (planning stages) – A residential facility providing free accommodation, safety, and support for mothers of hospitalized children. (planning stages)
Noted outside the Children’s Village
14. A mosque, a catholic church, a SDA church, and an inter-denominational church.
15. Moi Teaching & Referral Hospital (MTRH) is a Multi-Specialty International Teaching and Referral Hospital serving Kenya, Eastern Uganda, Northern Tanzania, Southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo with a population of over 25 million. The Shoe4Africa village treats all the children from MTRH.
*This building, 4, was opened as a music/arts therapy room, yet currently being used as a Mother/Child Health clinic for inoculations, nutrition, HIV testing and more.
Those who pass through the doors tell us that the Hospital does far more than treat these patients each year – it embodies the hope of a healthy childhood, the unwavering faith of parents in healing, and the dedication of medical professionals to prevention and cure.
The heart of the center, opened in Eldoret in 2015, the Shoe4Africa Children’s Hospital is the second stand-alone tertiary hospital in sub-Saharan Africa dedicated entirely to child public healthcare, following the Red Cross Children’s Hospital in South Africa, which opened in 1956.
While delivering world-class pediatric treatment and care, we strive to make the greatest impact possible and empower others to do the same. We are a teaching hospital for the Moi University Medical School, providing training to pediatric healthcare professionals. We also conduct groundbreaking research into childhood illnesses that has a global impact.
At The Shoe4Africa Children’s Village, we inspire hope, foster healing, and pave the way for a healthier future for children across Africa.
Concept Plan
The satellite image below provides a snapshot of the site’s layout. As the updated drone photo above illustrates, significant progress has been made since then. The only major project yet to begin construction is the Women’s Hostel (WH), for which fundraising is currently underway, with the goal of breaking ground in 2026.
The asterisk (*) marks a location where we believe a natural underground spring exists. We are currently seeking a grant to develop this spring into a solar-powered water source, with the aim of providing clean, sustainable water not only to our hospital campus but also to the neighboring Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) complex.
