Protecting roofs and futures

By Emma Peterson.

See how Topps Products helped the Mothers’ Mercy Home in Kenya build a healthier space for the children in their care.

Just about nine miles (15 km) north of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, lays Kiambu County. Sitting at an elevation of over 6,000 feet (about 1,893 meters), the county reported an urban population of about 147,000 in 2019. The area is known for having one of the oldest nine-hole golf courses in Kenya (Kiambu Club opened in 1916) and for a few high-performance schools such as Kiambu High School, ACK St. James Academy and the Kiambu Institute of Science and Technology.

Within the county lies a town called Ndenderu, which sits along the North side of Limuru Road. Further West along the road sits the Mothers’ Mercy Home in the Kianjongu suburb. The Mothers’ Mercy Home “is an early intervention project that caters for disadvantaged children. It prevents them from suffering adverse health, neglect, delinquency or any other problem that interferes with positive child development.” It was founded on May 7, 2001, through the support of the Mothers’ Union of the Anglican Church of Kenya, Diocese of Mt. Kenya South after their congregation noticed an alarming increase in orphans and destitute children back in 1997.

Today, they provide basic needs like food, shelter, love and education to less fortunate children, ultimately equipping them to be self-reliant and responsible citizens that can live life to the fullest. While primarily functioning through donations scheduled from every archdeaconry, Mothers’ Mercy Home also undertakes a few income generation projects that not only support the continued functionality of the home but also gives the children opportunities to learn skills and gain experience. These projects include managing a vegetable farm, raising animals (rabbits, chickens, cows and goats) and maintaining a water kiosk that supplies clean drinking water to their surrounding neighborhood.  

As of 2025, they have cared for and educated over 2,000 children in their facilities, which include a variety of semipermanent and permanent structures (including an administrative block, classrooms, multi-purpose hall). One of the challenges they have faced in relation to their facility is finding ways to manage temperatures. While the larger Nairobi area is classified as a subtropical highland climate, temperatures can be anything but mild. Hot summer months tend to rise into the 80°F-90°F (26°C-32°C) and in winter temperatures can still reach the mid-70s°F (mid-20s°C). Because of this consistent exposure to heat, it was important for the Mothers’ Mercy Home to find a way to regulate temperatures for both the comfort and health of their wards. That’s where Topps Products, Inc. comes in.

Topps is known for creating incredibly energy-efficient roof coating products. The Topps Seal® white roofing has been proven “to reduce rooftop temperatures by as much as 122°F (50°C).” By reducing so much heat on top of the roof, less heat is able to radiate through the material and into the building beneath. Not only does this make the space beneath the roof more comfortable, but it also lowers the amount of solar radiation on the roof, generally extending the lifespan by protecting the roof from thermal movement. With all of these benefits, it’s no wonder that this is one of the Topps products used on the Mothers’ Mercy Home.  

And this is not the first time that Topps (a U.S.-based company) has been used internationally. Their products simply outperform many of their competitors, both nationally and internationally. In March 2024, we spoke to Topps CEO James T. Thomas and he shared a few stories from around the world, saying, “Our products are throughout every extreme climate imaginable, we've done the research station in Antarctica, several buildings and the Sony buildings in Dubai, and then over to Saudi Arabia... We worked on an outdoor market in Da Nang, Vietnam and in Bamako, Mali. People felt the difference right away with those products installed.”  

To learn more about Topps and their incredible products that are used internationally, check out their Coffee Shops Directory!

Image sources in order of appearance: Topps Products (cover), County Government of Kiambu, Mothers’ Mercy Home and Topps Products