NASSAU, Bahamas -- On Monday September 28th, The Rotary Club of West Nassau made a donation to the Bahamas Children?s Emergency Hostel to help defray the costs of managing the hostel.

The Bahamas Children?s Emergency Hostel was established in 1962 by the Bahamas Christian Council. Its founders were the late Dean William Granger, Mr. and Mrs. Hedden, Thomas Brooks, and Pastor William Nairn. The purpose was to provide emergency and temporary shelter for abandoned, neglected and abused children aged six weeks to eleven years. The initial site was in Oakes Field.


In May 1968, the Hostel was closed due to financial difficulties. However, under the new leadership of the Kiwanis Club of Nassau, it reopened in January 1969 on its present site, McKinney Drive. The Department of Social Services (DSS) later became a partner. It provides an annual grant and employs 13 of the 25 employees.


The Hostel provides a very critical service to the community. One would agree that when children have been abandoned, neglected or abused by their caregivers, they should be protected. Yet, it is never a pleasant task to remove them from their homes or to determine that they should live in an institution. However, when circumstances dictate that this is the best course of action, it is important that they are given a comfortable, nurturing and attractive environment where their ability to thrive is not severely affected. The Bahamas Children?s Emergency Hostel continually seeks to provide such an environment.


The Hostel can comfortably accommodate 32 children, ages 1 to 11 years. Residents who have not been returned to their relatives, fostered or adopted by age 12 are transferred to Homes for older children, where they will reside until age 18.



The average length of residency at the Hostel is one year. The children attend worship services each Sunday and all school-age children attend public schools. Pre-schoolers receive scholarships from community pre-schools.


Although a recipient of an annual grant from the Department of Social Services, the Hostel relies heavily on the benevolence of community-minded citizens and organizations to support its work through donations of finances and time. A continuous challenge is securing funds to operate and maintain the facility which houses a nursery, boys and girls dorms, kitchen, dining area, storage areas and administrative offices.

Photo: from left to right: Past President & Director of International Service ? Harry Kemp, Nikita Smith ? Administrative Assistant and Past President & Director of Public Relations-Pat Strachan.

by Patrick Strachan