Peterborough filmmaker to document children's rescue centre build in Kenya

An award-winning Peterborough filmmaker is travelling to Kenya to tell the stories of children being saved from the streets by a new rescue centre.

Lizzy Standbrook, 41, from Longthorpe, is travelling to Africa with the Kenyan Children’s Project on April 25.

The charity rescues children living in danger and poverty on the streets of Kenya.

It hopes to raise £100,000 to complete the construction an urgent rescue centre and community hub - which will house up to 100 children at any one time.

“There are over 100 million children worldwide living or connected to the streets,” Lizzy said.

“They are vulnerable to trafficking, exploitation and neglect. Covid has made them even more vulnerable because during the lockdown in Kenya there were still so many children living on the streets - which became more dangerous.

"I’m going to Kenya with Kenyan Children’s Project to tell the stories of the children they’ve rescued and restored to families during the pandemic - making live films and illustrations while working with a photographer.”

Lizzy is a fundraising strategy consultant and filmmaker - and previously worked with the charity Leprosy Mission.

She won the Outstanding Achievement Award for Animation and Best Film on Disability Issue at the Calcutta International Cult Film Festival for her animation Suman's Story - a story about a young girl diagnosed with Leprosy in India.

The Kenyan Children’s Project estimates that approximately 300,000 children and young people are living on the streets in Kenya - which is why Lizzy wants to bring the issue to light through film and animation.

“The children will be put on a three-month programme of trauma informed counselling, therapy and education,” she said. “They will be given three meals a day and a safe place to sleep.

“They have security guards at the centre to protect the children - because some of the children are worth more to traffickers than a drug deal.

"Approximately 95% of children in institutional care have family members and are not orphans - so social workers will try to find their families. Their objective is to get the children back to their families.

“I will be meeting street children myself and seeing the impact of Covid on family life and the children struggling to survive. Then I’ll be helping Kenyan Children’s Project to tell those stories of need and transformation through their trauma-informed care - so we can show the huge impact this new urgent rescue centre will have and raise the funds to finish it.”

You can follow Lizzy’s journey on Instagram: @lizzystandbrook_storyteller.