Kenya: Homa Bay Orphange, Kenya, Africa

Education is the best way to empower the next generation of leaders.

Homa Bay Orphanage

(WASHINGTON D.C.) - Imagine having to live on the streets day and night, wondering where is your next meal coming from? Will you be safe or will someone want to harm you? Will you be forced to join a rebel group? Could you be raped and forced into the sex industry in order to provide for yourself? Now imagine this scenario at age 12.

This is the plight of many children in Kenya, Africa, where there are countless children who live on the streets due to the death of their parents and have no other caretakers to care for them. This is where Homa Bay Orphanage fills the gap between the children and their needs.

Currently, Homa Bay Orphanage cares for 50 children who all live on the streets. Five volunteers meet with these children every day to provide them with food and to assess their needs, including care for their physical ailments and diseases.

Michael Otieno Abuya, director of the Homa Bay Orphanage, details in the interview below, the daily challenges he faces while serving these children.

Interview with Michael Otieno Abuya:

MA: It seems to me that any full grown, mature adult would have a desire to be responsible, to help where he can in a world that needs so very much, that threatens us so very much.

JF: Can you tell me more about your work with the children?

MA: I cried when I saw these children suffering in our streets with no one to help. We join hands together with friends and registered organization by the name Homa Bay Orphanage and SHG organization here in Kenya to help these children. I have been crying aloud for them to be raised from this poor state hoping that good friends like you will feel touched to join us in helping them. I welcome you as we raise them from this poor state..

JF: Do you have a facility the children are able to live in, and how many children are you able to serve?

MA: We are caring for 50 children currently. I rented a room for the total orphans and for some we are doing Homa Based Care in the streets where they live, some members agreed to live with others partners. We conduct follow-ups on all of the children we care for. The majority of the children are still living on the streets.

JF: How many workers do you have to help you in this work?

MA: We have 5 volunteers that serve all of the children each day.

JF: What are some of the biggest challenges you face in the work you are doing?

MA: We lack numerous resources. These children lack food, proper shelter, shoes and fees to educate them. In other words they lack the basic humans needs due to lack of enough funding to care for them.

JF: How do you get your support that you do have? Where does it come from?

MA: We receive some funding from group member contributions and from friends who have felt touched and desired to help. They give once and this makes it more difficult to sustain a monthly working budget and this why the children continue suffering.

JF: How much do you need monthly and how much is the deficit you currently struggle with?

MA: We can only afford ksh.10000 monthly which equals about $123.45 for single meals. $ 1 today = kshs.81 for them to eat 3 square meals. In order to feed 50x50children x 30 days=kshs.75000 or about US $ 925.93 per month. So we still lack Kshs.65,000/-about $ 802.46 USD.

JF: Do the children suffer from any illnesses?

MA: Yes they suffer from Malaria as they lack enough mosquito nets. Also, malnutrition is an ongoing battle due lack of enough food. The children mostly eat porridge in order to sustain themselves. Cholera is also a big problem as they lack clean water drink. Many are also are HIV/AIDS positive.

JF: Are the children who are HIV positive able to get the medicine they need?

MA: Well, we take them to district hospital for treatment they are on ARV’s but the financial and transportation means to get them there sometimes become very difficult. The children have to go on foot and it is far. Some died due to this problem.

JF: How many children have you lost during the course of your service there?

MA: Sadly we have lost 4 children.

JF: What has happened to their parents of these children?

MA: Their parents died of the killer disease of HIV/AIDS leaving the children to battle life on the streets.

JF: Understanding that money is your greatest need are there other things you are in need of as well?

MA: Apart from money for food; clothing, medicines, shoes, blankets and nets are direly in need.

JF: What is the percentage of boys to girls you serve?

MA: Boys are 30 Girls 20.

JF: Have any of the children been involved with rebel groups or the sex trade industry?

MA: Yes many use to be involved in the sex trade when they were in streets. They used to this income to earn a living.

JF: How many still live on the streets?

MA: Bigger numbers are still at the street, we are just praying for God to open way so that we take them out from there. We only took 50 due to lack of enough resources but majority still at the street.

JF: What are the dreams you have for these children?

MA: I have dreams to rehabilitate them, educate, and model them as they are our future leaders. We are aiming higher for them. I try to make them to be self-reliant so that they too can help others.

JF: What are your dreams for Homa Bay Orphanage? Do you hope to build or obtain a facility to house the children? Are there any plans you are working on toward this?

MA: Yes it has been my main plan. I am try very much to purchase the land a build for them a facility to house them. I am praying for God to provide for His children who will feel touched to lead other to assist us in this endeavor.

JF: How much money do you need to raise to purchase the land?

MA: USD $.6172.83 or Ksh.500000.

JF: How can people donate to help these amazingly resilient children?

MA: We have a Homa Bay orphans organization bank account opened here in Kenya for these children. Also Atma foundation in the US agreed to offer us their donation site for those who would like to us PayPal. Kenya banks do not accept PayPal.

JF: Is there anything else you want people to know about your work or the children?

MA: Well, they can read more about us at our website www.homabayorphans.com or our cause link on face bookhttp://www.causes.com/causes/384191.

Atma Foundation has partnered with the Homa Bay Orphanage in order to provide school supplies that will enable the volunteers to set up a learning center for the children. Education is the best way to empower the next generation of leaders as the Homa Bay Orphanage has stated as one of their goals. Atma Foundation has joined forces with schools in their immediate area to save any pencils, paper, books, workbooks and other school supplies that would normally be thrown in the trash and has boxed them up for shipment to Kenya. In Africa, a single pencil costs $2 yet most people live on less than a dollar a day. The shipping of these boxes costs $60 per box and numerous boxes have been packed and ready to go but donations are needed in order to ship the boxes. Atma Foundation has the goal of collecting 100-120 boxes by the end of the year to be shipped in order to support the learning center for all of the children.

If you wish to donate money to the shipping cost or for any program within the Homa Bay Orphanage please visit www.atma-foundation.org and donate through the PayPal button.  All proceeds go directly to the Homa Bay Orphanage in Kenya or to ship the boxes directly to them.

Jennifer has extensive background working with victims of trauma and domestic violence, justice matters as well as individual and family therapy. Passionate and focused on bringing the many humanitarian issues that plague the African Continent to the awareness of the developed world in order to incite change. She is a correspondent, Assistant Editor, and Volunteer Coordinator for NGO News Africa through the volunteer project of the UN. Jennifer is also the media co-coordinator and senior funding executive for The Africa Global Village (www.africaglobalvillage.com) Jennifer comes to www.Salem-News.com with a great deal of experience and passion for working to stop human right violation in Africa.