Give Some Hope!

New Hope Orphanage

Rongo, Africa

World Racers from former teams Aletheia & Transformers were given the opportunity to visit the New Hope orphanage in Rongo, Kenya directed by Pastor Robinson in December 2008. Pastor Robinson, along with his wife, his mother, brothers, and a team of generous volunteers, have chosen in faith to answer God’s call for these children.  They are providing them with love, support, a healthy life, an education, and are sharing the rich love of Christ with orphans in their community.  We had the privilege of visiting them and they were very excited to welcome us and show us what God has been doing with what little they have.  We were able to meet the 50 + orphans in their care. These orphans, ages 3-10 years old, are the most joy-filled children we’ve seen on the World Race yet!

Pastor Robinson shared with us how God called him to invest his time for the fatherless in the community, many of whom have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS.  Pastor Robinson, who is evidently full of the Holy Spirit and the joy of the Lord sat with us – full of smiles – answering our questions about New Hope.  After asking him how we can best pray for him and what the greatest needs are for New Hope, he shared his two main goals: to provide healthy food and an education for the children.  He and his staff of volunteers and teachers fully trust God to meet their needs as they have no salary and little material wealth. Their hearts are focused on these children.

The orphanage has a small amount of land owned by Pastor Robinson.  They use the land to raise a few animals and fish, and to grow food.  They appear to be fairly resourceful with what they have, yet land and financial resources are preventing them from taking on new children and adequately caring for the kids they do have.  We asked what New Hope could use to better care for the orphans, from more land, an additional house, or even simple items like mosquito nets for malaria, and we’ve detailed them here.  

To the Kenyans, the cost is great, but we realized how little the cost actually is for Americans in order to meet these needs that are preventing the children from having a healthy life and a future.
 

—————————————————–   SPECIFIC NEEDS   —————————————————–

FOOD
These children live on a steady diet of mostly ugali. Ugali, which is maize or corn flour, is the staple food in Kenya.  It does generally provide enough energy, but it doesn’t provide many nutrients for growing children.  Currently, the children eat 3 meals a day, which costs $1.15 per day. New Hope currently harvests its own corn to provide for the ugali. With a little more land to expand their garden, a few extra crops, and hired hands to till soil and manage the crops year round, New Hope would be able to introduce vegetables into the children’s diet.

The cost for a garden to provide healthy food is approximately…                       
38,900 Shillings or $500  (a cup of Starbucks coffee everyday for a year)

AN EDUCATION
New Hope can’t afford schoolbooks or a curriculum for the children.

The cost to provide schoolbooks, paper and pencils for 84 orphans is approximately…
12,059 Shillings or $155 (a pair of jeans in the US)

Aletheia was able to bless the Rongo New Hope Orphanage with a gift that provided schoolbooks to the orphans in January 2009. We are grateful for what God has started and what He will continue to do at New Hope!

A HOME
We learned all 84 orphans live in a small brick house the size of a typical college dorm room. 

The cost to construct a brick dormitory for the children is approximately…
50,000 Shillings or $642 (a daily bag of potato chips for a year)

A BED
These children don’t have beds to sleep on or mosquito nets to prevent them from getting malaria. One mattress can fit 3 children comfortably.

The cost for mattresses so the kids don’t have to sleep on the ground is approximately…
 43,568 Shillings or $560  (a dinner and movies for 2 for a month)

DISEASE PREVENTION
Malaria is a significant risk in Africa.  The disease is common and does kill many in Kenya each year.  Sleeping under mosquito nets would help prevent this disease.

The cost to provide a healthy life and future for orphans can be very difficult and costly for Kenyans, but it is easily within the reach of Americans.  New Hope is choosing to trust in God in an incredible way and it would be a great opportunity for us to serve and bless them by giving to these children. 

For only $2,000, we can provide the basic infrastructure for New Hope to begin building a better foundation for the orphanage.