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ST. CLAIR ORPHANAGE AND REHABILITATION HOME

P.O. BOX 402-40100

KISUMU, KENYA

TELEPHONE:  0722-62032

E-MAIL:  philadhiambo@yahoo.com

INTRODUCTION

St. Clare Orphanage and Rehabilitation Home was established in January, 2005 by the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph on the grounds of St. Teresa Montessori Nursery School in Kisumu.  Its mission is to give hope to  desperate orphans and families and to provide care and support.  It opened with 22 orphans who were mostly HIV+ whose parents died of AIDS.  Many of them were already on anti retroviral AIDS medication, but were badly in need of nutritious food and secure shelter. 

The current number of orphans fluctuates between 52 and 45.  Sister Philomena Adhiambo is the sister in charge of a mostly volunteer staff.  The residential enrollment is limited to children ages 2 to 7 years old because of the lack of space.  Graduates of the orphanage go to St. Francis Primary School as boarders.  Those who have a surviving parent or willing relative to care for them are encouraged to become day students so these adults can assume their responsibilities as caretakers.

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

The orphanage has these objectives:

Recent statistics show that about 2 million Kenyans have already died of AIDS leaving about 1.5 million orphans with few resources to survive.  About 3 million Kenyans are estimated to be HIV+.  Women make up the majority of those who are HIV+.  Regions around Lake Victoria and main transportation routes appear to bear the brunt of the epidemic because of easy access to sexual interaction and tribal cultural mores.  Some tribal practices such as the Luo inheritance laws promotes infection rates.  This law states that the brother of the dead husband can inherit his sister-in-law as wife and possess his brother’s property.  In instances where the wife dies, her sister is encouraged to take her place as wife further promoting the disease.

Poverty has driven many women to prostitute themselves to feed their children.  As a result, the disease spreads even more.  The Kenya government is so corrupted that resources get swallowed up by enterprising politicians and bureaucrats.  Infrastructure is neglected and economic development left to private groups and NGOs.  The land inheritance system also divides properties into small plots that only subsistence farming dependent on rain can exist.  Food is scarce and becomes more so during droughts.  The hunger situation becomes particularly desperate in arid zones like the Rift Valley.

As the disease is acknowledged and people become more educated about how the disease is transmitted, cultural mores promoting the disease appear to be weakening.  Meanwhile, the care of the growing number of orphans has challenged many churches and NGOs to undertake their care in various ways.  Orphanages are blossoming across the country and boarding schools are also growing in population.  Womens groups have universally adopted practices of assisting orphans in purchasing school uniforms and paying for secondary education tuition for orphans through income generating activities.  The cry to establish more technical schools is being heard now as more orphans are unable to go to secondary school.

St. Clare Orphanage and Rehabilitation Home has undertaken some self-sufficiency activities to feed their residents.  It has several pure and cross bred milking goats, a small flock of chickens and turkeys, and a garden plot for vegetables and herbs.  The Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph has a 12 acre plot in Kisumu that can be developed for the new orphanage site in the near future, but could be put into year round production if water is available for irrigation now.  Some of the HIV+ mothers and male guests have been trained by Sister Philomena to prepare food, give personal care and care for the facilities and grounds.   To provide consistent meals, Sister Philomena has to beg from local stores and markets as money is scarce.

The orphanage has engaged several community organizations in its mission to foster orphans.  It has received support from the Dominican Laity, Pandipieri Health Center, and Nyabondo  Lumumba Hospital.  Individuals from the community have also given money and in kind offerings to support orphans.  

Inspite of the struggle to sustain the orphanage, there have been some encouraging signs of  reduction of HIV+ symptoms and even possible building of immunity among the young children.  Several children who tested positive when they came into the orphanage have been retested several times after that and registered as HIV negative.  Sister Philomena attributes this to a nutritious diet and secure environment.  The children interact peacefully and know to stay within the boundaries of the facility to keep safe.  Those who are day students at the nursery school wear a distinctive yellow tee shirt with the name of the school in case they get lost in the city.

NEEDS OF ST. CLARE ORPHANAGE AND REHABILITATION HOME

Kenya has no highly developed social service system and funding to support orphanages in their work.  It provides ARV medications in designated clinics that are often too distant for some to walk in their weakened condition and poverty.  Womens groups, churches and NGO try to assist through donations and income generation activities.  There are no consistent methods of keeping statistics to document those who fall through the existing net of services.  Anecdotal stories, however, relate the ravages of the HIV/AIDS epidemic graphically.  The sheer numbers of orphans, themselves, attest to the detrimental effects of the disease and rampant poverty in the country.

St. Clare Orphanage lives a hand to mouth existence daily.  It needs a more secure way of feeding its residents and staff of volunteers.  Its immediate needs are for food donations or money to purchase food. 

The present facility needs repair and renovations as follows:

A vehicle to transport orphans to medical facilities was donated to the orphanage.  It needs  five new tires, renovation of seats, and painting.

Personal items for each resident such as clothes, shoes, soap, body lotion/oils, etc. and educational items like books, pens/pencils and text books are needed.  School fees for those in primary boarding school to buy supplies, books and uniforms are needed.  The children also need toys and play equipment like swings. 

Monetary incentives for our orphanage workers is needed.  This item is included in the attached budget.

There are some more long term needs.  By putting an irrigation and water system on the twelve acres of land owned by the Franciscans of St. Joseph, more food can be raised and the excess marketed to feed and support the temporary orphanage in the heart of  the city.  The next priority would be to obtain funding to build a larger facility on the same acreage so more orphans can be serviced.  Already, some referrals have had to be deferred or refused because of lack of room in the presently crowded dormitory. 

A more secure funding stream has to be established to feed, clothe, and shelter the orphans.  A development officer/team  for the sisters projects needs to established.  Models of this are already in existence in dioceses and religious communities in Kenya and worldwide.

BUDGET FOR A MONTH FOR THE ORPHANAGE

Not included in the budget are estimation of in-kind food produced by the orphanage and any donations received.  Volunteer hours are not costed out as well.

The suggested monetary incentives for staff at the orphanage is delineated below.

PROJECTED MONTHLY MONETARY INCENTIVES FOR ORPHANAGE STAFF

Sr. Philomena Adhiambo Ondu or her religious replacement is not included in this budget. Some of the staff reside in the facility and partake of the food provided to the orphans.

An architect has been contracted by the sisters to draw up plans and designs for the future facilities on the twelve acres. Estimates and design will be attached to this document.