L’Arche is an international federation of communities where people with and without intellectual disabilities live and work together. These communities offer people with intellectual disabilities a home where they will be valued, respected, and their gifts welcomed and celebrated.
In 1964, a Canadian man named Jean Vanier invited two men, Philippe Sieux and Raphaël Simi, from a mental institution to live with him in a small house in a small French village. Half a century later, L’Arche is made up of 137 communities in 40 countries. The communities, while sharing the same values, are run in different ways according to their context and culture.
Effatha home became part of this international family in 2009 when L’Arche Kenya was accepted as a L’Arche project. Since that time, the community has built strong links with other L’Arche communities in the world, especially with L’Arche Uganda and L’Arche in Bangladesh.
Founded out of St. Martin CSA, L'Arche Kenya shares the value of mutual relationships between “the strong” and “the weak” as a source of transformation for all with St. Martin and ventured out to build on this its own identity.
L’Arche Kenya is an ecumenical faith based organization founded in Nyahururu–Kenya in 2008 in response to the needs of adults with intellectual disabilities and is registered as a charitable trust. We are located in Nyahururu town -Laikipia County, 200 KM North of Nairobi-Kenya. The organization runs 2 model homes in Nyahururu, Effatha and Betania, where adults with and without intellectual disabilities share life together as a family, 4 occupational therapy workshops, 4 production workshops, a Gift shop under Marleen Crafts project and a Disability Outreach programme.