Yesterday I had the privilege of meeting a man in Naivasha (a town about 40 minutes from here) that is running an orphanage called the House of Hope. He started with nothing and now has a store (to support the orphanage), a house of his own and an orphanage with 4 employees. There are 23 kids there now with 2 more expected. The orphanage was opened in 2005 and has been growing. They have 2 cows (but one is very old), and some chickens and a big shamba (garden). His vision was to have a group of kids that are from all different tribes. Here in Kenya, there is a lot of prejudice along tribal lines. He wants these kids to grow up together to know each other as brothers and sisters and to be a witness to others about living in harmony with God as their leader. He has done an amazing job in getting all of this together. These kids are loved and fed and seem to be happy. But, when we see them (through Wazungu (white) eyes) they seem to have nothing. They are lacking in shoes and clothing just to start. There are bright colors painted on the walls, but no games, no balls, no books in sight. There is a nice playground in the yard, that was donated and is a blessing. The kids are loved and that is the main thing. We have read several books about trying to "help" people in seemingly poor situations. All say that just giving money is usually a crutch, because people can become dependant on those gifts. Well meaning people can come in and try to "fix" a situation that they have deemed to be broken. I see this orphanage through different eyes then I would have 1 year ago. They have the necessities. They are getting fed and an education. The man that runs it has a heart for the kids and is doing very well at providing for them. I still would like to try and fill some of the basic needs that they have and just help them to support themselves. We are coming home in 3 weeks and if anyone would like to help, we are planning on filling one of our 10 bags with 50 lbs of items for the orphanage. We in the states have used items that we let sit around or even throw out that here would be deemed valuable. So, here is a list of things that I think we can bring back for the kids that will not weigh too much (weight is a problem as we only have 1 50 lb bag):
- Clothing and shoes for ages 3-10: girls and boys
- the shoes are OK to be sandals, crocs, sneakers and the like.
- the clothes could be anything from warm sweatshirts to fancy dress. They do not wear a lot of shorts though.
- The kids even wear very warm hats as it is pretty cold - at least to them - up on the hill.
- Childrens' books (English is OK with pictures) (Children's bibles would be great).
- Soccer balls -small ones would be best, size 3-4 (that can be deflated) and a pump or 2
- Toothbrushes (I will ask my dentist in Cadillac if he can support this one).
- If we can raise some money, it would be great to supply this place with a young cow. A cow can provide a source of food for many years. It costs about $500 to buy a good cow.
Here is a picture of the kittens that Sallie has "adopted" over the last month. They were wild and could not be handled. But, Sallie has been patient and can now pick up all of them (at least for a little while). We have them advertised, but no takers yet. Not sure if we will end up with a yard full of cats!
Their mother is very nice and loves to come around. It is good having Doctors living next door though. He was able to watch a you tube video of a spay (Spay a cat in 4 minutes!) and do just that to her on his kitchen table! Warning - Do Not try this stunt at Home! Professionals only! Now at least the mom can stay and we will not be inundated with kittens - much to Sallie's chagrin!
In His Hands,
Jullie T.
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