Furaha Orphanage, Kilifi

We have a new website!

2008-11-06T11:47:00.000-08:00

We now have a new website! Please go to www.furahaorphanage.org
for all the latest information, as well as more pictures and videos!
We also have a Child Sponsorship program in place, if you would like to become involved as a Sponsor.
THANK YOU AGAIN TO ALL THOSE WHOSE SUPPORT HAS MADE THIS POSSIBLE!

Thank you for your support, and update!

2007-09-30T05:38:00.000-07:00

We have been making excellent progress over the last two months - Many thanks for all your support!

Our main achievements so far have been:

- The children started school (Kibaoni Primary School) on 3rd September! Esther and Joseph (who also helps take care of the children) managed to get them all sorted in time: white socks, black shoes, skirts/shorts and shirt, school bags, exercise books, and most importantly - payment of school fees - Esther proudly handed over the cheque for 37,000 ksh to the headmaster on their first day of school - it was a big day for each of the children. We now have to make sure we can cover the tuition/exams costs each term (about 11,000 ksh in total, about 450 ksh per child).

- They now have beds, mattresses and sheets to sleep on. There was only space to fit 8 bunked beds in the dormitory, so the children are still sharing beds for now. However, as soon as funding permits, we hope to build another structure (and acquire the neighbouring plot) to build another dormitory, for the boys. Once we have the space, we could then organise for each child to have their own bed; this is also a requirement for the centre to become properly registered with the social services.

- All the children have received deworming medication (60 ksh per dose, 30 doses, for children and staff) - the children took the medicine two weeks before starting school - one of them even wanted more because she liked the sweet taste! It is recommended to de-worm every 3 months.

- They have built a temporary structure which is serving as a study area and dining hall. It is a simple structure - made out of wooden poles and a makuti roof, but it does the job. We are now hoping to get furniture (table and chairs) to finalise it; hopefully this will be replaced by a permanent structure once funds allow.

- The orphanage is getting electricity installed in each of the structures this week (dormitory, dining hall, and Esther's mudhouse) - this will help them tremendously - both in terms of safety (the kerosene lamps can be a hazard with small children around) as well as security. They had an incident last week-end (three robbers tried to enter the premises and threatened them) - a safety light at night can act as a strong deterrent. We hope to get a permanent night-watchman (4,000 per month) once funds allow.

- In addition to the clothes friends have donated, we have collected clothes through donations of colleagues at my workplace - we will be sorting through them next week-end and donating them to Esther right afterwards. The collection was very successful - thank you to all those who contributed!

- Esther is now working on getting the orphanage properly registered with the social services. This involves a health check-up and certificate of good conduct for staff, public health report, area advisory report, and more. She is working hard on the various requirements, and as soon as we bring the place up to standard, we hope to obtain the registration. Hopefully by December...

- Finally, we have been able to allocate 5,000 ksh per week for the feeding program. Until now, Esther has been relying on sporadic donations of staple foods (mainly maize) - the aim is to keep using these staples, but to supplement them with some fruits/vegetables, eggs, milk, meat.

- There is still much to be done, but thanks to the generosity of all those who have contributed, we have been able to make great improvements. Our next hope is to buy the plot of land next door (95,000 ksh) - the space can be used for playing, the boys' dormitory, and possibly for grazing - if we are able to get a cow! about 45,000 ksh... this will generate milk for the children and some income since the extra milk can be sold.

On behalf of Esther and the orphans - Thank you! I will keep you updated as we continue to make progress over the next few months. If you wish to make a donation - the orphanage now has a group account at Barclays Bank, Kilifi. Feel free to email me if you would like further information.

Note: I have documented the progress with pictures, but have been having difficulty posting them due to slow internet connectivity... I hope to do this in Jan/Feb once I have a fast connection.

In the meantime - words will have to do!
THANK YOU!

2007-07-15T07:35:00.001-07:00

Furaha means "happiness" in Kiswahili...

2007-07-15T06:22:00.000-07:00

One of the main priorities for the next few weeks is to make sure the children are ready to start primary school on 3rd September 2007. We were able to have 24 uniforms made (on credit) at the local tailor's shop. However, we still need to buy black shoes, white socks, bags, exercise books, and pay one-time admission fees, and yearly tuition/exam fees. In total, sending the children to primary school costs about 5500 ksh (about 80 USD) per child - all contributions welcome - any contribution will be extremely appreciated!
Please contact info@furahaorphanage.org for further information on the orphanage or to find out how to make a donation.

2007-07-15T06:04:00.000-07:00

This is the main gate for the orphanage. The orphanage is located in Kiwandani - it is hidden away at the end of a dirt path in rural Kilifi about 10 min away from the town centre by tuk-tuk (mini-taxi), and about 45 min by foot. Few people know of the orphanage which has only been registered since March 2007 (although Esther has been taking care of the children for over a year).

2007-07-15T05:42:00.000-07:00

We have been able to buy 30 bednets at the subsidized price of 50 ksh each at a nearby dispensary. However, we cannot use the bednets until there are beds...

2007-07-15T05:28:00.000-07:00

Cashewnut tree on adjacent plot of land Esther hopes to buy. The small building on the right is the pit latrines of the orphanage.

2007-07-15T05:09:00.000-07:00

This is the plot of land which Esther hopes to buy - the small grey building is the pit latrines of the orphanage. This plot is extremely well situated to allow for expansion, and also contains a cashewnut tree, which could provide some additional income for the orphanage.

2007-07-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

The mattresses are left outside to dry during the day, as some of the younger children wet their beds during the night. The orphanage is hoping to buy new mattresses and bedsheets for the children to sleep on.

2007-07-15T04:25:00.000-07:00

At the bottom of the picture, you can see the edge of the borehole with a bit of fencing around it, and the dormitory/classroom in the background.

2007-07-15T03:08:00.000-07:00

This borehole was started but never finished. It needs to be dug deeper to reach water - it can then be used as non-drinking water, for washing, cleaning, etc. It also needs to be covered up and fenced properly to ensure that the children do not accidentally fall into it.

2007-07-15T03:00:00.000-07:00

Although the orphanage has pit latrines, it is still lacking a washing area/bathroom for the children to bathe and clean on a daily basis.

2007-07-15T02:12:00.000-07:00

This is the outside of the kitchen - the pit latrines for the children are 10 meters away (behind the corn plants), and the big tree in the distance is on an adjacent plot of land which Esther hopes to be able to buy one day, since there is little room for expansion on her current plot (e.g. for a dormitory, eating area, washing area, play area, or nursery school classroom).

2007-07-15T00:39:00.000-07:00

This is the kitchen - cooking is done on the floor using charcoal. The room quickly becomes filled with smoke... Esther usually does all the cooking, but the hope is to get her a househelp on a permanent basis, to assist with the cooking, as well as with the other daily house chores (cleaning, clothes-washing, etc.).

2007-07-15T00:15:00.000-07:00

The building in the distance is the "kitchen," and the closer building is Esther's house, where she lives with her daughters. She hopes to build a new house with stronger materials; she also needs a bed, as she currently sleeps on the floor.

2007-07-14T23:56:00.000-07:00

These are the 24 orphans which Esther takes care of. The youngest is 3 years old, and the oldest is 14 years old.

2007-07-14T02:54:00.000-07:00

This is the same building (classroom/dormitory) seen from the outside. On the left, you can see part of the wall of Esther's mud house, where she lives, together with her five daughters.

2007-07-14T01:59:00.000-07:00

This is the rest of the same room - which serves as a dormitory for the orphans at night. They need bed-frames and new mattresses. For now, they sleep on old mattresses on the floor. The girls sleep in this room, and the boys sleep in the kitchen. There are currently no bednets; these will also have to be added as soon as possible to prevent malaria which is endemic in Kilifi.

2007-07-14T00:28:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of Esther with the children she teaches every day. In addition to the children of the orphanage, Esther teaches nursery school to 45 children from the community. Esther receives no salary for this work (the parents of the other children are too poor to pay). Some of these children should be in primary school by now, but they cannot afford to enter (due to uniform and tuition fees).

Furaha Orphanage, Kilifi - introductions!

2007-07-12T07:59:00.000-07:00

Thought the blog interface would be a quick and easy way for me to introduce to you all:

Furaha Orphanage, Kilifi (Kenya)

The orphanage is run by a lady named Esther, who has been taking care of 24 orphans (in addition to her five daughters) with her own scarce resources for the past year.

She has very little means, but is an extremely dynamic and proactive woman, with high ambitions for the children she takes care of.

I have been spending much of the last three weeks visiting her orphanage (which is essentially her own plot of land, with a mud hut and one permanent structure which serves both as a dormitory and nursery school for the children).

There is a whole list of things that the orphanage needs urgently, but for now, I thought it would be best to share these with you through pictures...

If you would like to donate to the orphanage, any contribution would be extremely valuable, and any sum of money will go extremely far! We are currently in the process of creating a bank account for the orphanage, and hope that it will be open very soon... Will make sure you to keep you updated!