The Good Life Orphanage

So now we have 31 children at the orphanage. The first three houses are complete, and the builder has scheduled for the fourth and fifth houses to be built between September-March, we can’t start until then as it’s impossible to carry out building work in the rainy season!

Following a visit by Ron and Sue Hayes in February, and after deliberations with our Committee at home and our Trustees in Kenya it was decided that these last two house will be especially adapted for disabled children. Many thanks to Ron & Sue for this and many other ideas they came up with to ensure the success of the orphanage. We value visitors feedback as it is an essential part of our development of the project.

Looking at Gracie and Michael now, seeing how strong, healthy and happy they are is testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff at the orphanage. Obviously with any new project there has been teething problems, and we have unfortunately had to replace members of staff, but things are progressing very well.
Caleb who arrived at the orphanage with Moses and Joshua in April 2008 in a sorry state, he was badly beaten and malnourished, is now a happy young boy, yes he is always in trouble but he is just like any other five year old boy.

Both Kevin and myself often say that without the support of friends, family and now an ever-increasing group of people who are willing to help us it would be impossible to operate the orphanage and we really mean this from the bottom of our hearts. The staff, children and ourselves cannot put into words just how important and life changing your help and support is to the project.

Yes, we all are making a difference!

Here is an email I received from Jackie regarding little Helen who we picked up from a rescue centre in Mtwapa in November 2008, we noticed she was well cared for and did not appear to be in the usual disheveled state as the majority of children who come to the orphanage. She would only settle with Kevin & Samson and screamed when a woman approached her.

“Dear Mary,

Yesterday, I received a Court Order from the Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court at Kilifi for Criminal Case no. 1019 of 2008 ordering me to hand over the child name Angela renamed Helen to the mother, one Perris Dhahabu and Police Corporal Rukia of the Mtwapa Police Station. Before handing over the child to the mother, I had a talk with her and you will not believe the circumstances that child had to go through.

Her husband had disappeared from home for about three months, when he came home one day she was sleeping as she was not feeling well. He told her that he was leaving her because he had married another wife. She asked him what would happen to the children as she did not have any money to feed the (Helen and her brother) He told her that he was leaving with them. As he was their father, the mother agreed. What she learnt later from her son (about five years old) was that the “step mother” used to mistreat them and beat them up a lot; they used to sleep on the floor etc. Apparently, the step mother would not mistreat them when the father was around but she complained a lot that Helen would not shut up, she kept crying.
The father instead of taking the child back to its mother decided to go to the Police Station and concoct a story that he had a fight with his wife then she threw the child at him and ran away. He also said he did not have any relative where he could take the child to and he did not know where his wife had gone to. So the Police had to look for a place to take the child.
When the mother recovered, she went to see how her children were, she found the boy neglected with many wounds on his arms and legs. When she asked where Helen was, no one would give her an answer so she decided to go to the Police Station to report that she did not know where her child was. At the Police Station, she was put in for 24 hours and taken to court in Kilifi for abandoning the child. The case was mentioned and given a hearing date but she could not be released so she was locked up at the Shimo La Tewa Prison because she did not have any money to pay for a bond. Anyway she contacted her sister who looked for money to pay for her (after some months). Once out, she started looking for her child and was later told that the child was sold to some “mzungu” by the Police Officer. At a hearing in Court, that is what she told the Court so the Police Officer had to be summoned to Court and produce the Child. I suppose she told her part of the story and we were thereafter given a Court Order to release the child to her mother. The Husband, by the way, has disappeared. They do not know where he has gone to but the Police are looking for him. Helen has been reconciled with the mother.

It all fits together, we were wondering when Helen came how she preferred men than women, it became clear that maybe it was because of the way the step mother mistreated her – but this is just my opinion.

We took them home – Mtomondoni in Mtwapa area, at least we know where Helen is.

Regards,

Jackie”

Helen has been reunited with her mother, it is a terrible system that allows this to happen but at least she was well cared for and loved in the four months whilst she was at The Good Life Orphanage !!

A beautiful Sunday in Albert Square in Manchester, the place packed with people enjoying a good day out celebrating St Patrick’s Day, The Good Life Orphanage committee and families were there as well.

Catherine putting her excellent organisation skills to work again ordered lots of nick- nacks for selling on our stall with all the proceeds going to the orphanage.
It was a great day, seeing old faces and promoting the orphanage, we are fast becoming known throughout the North West with people recognising the charity from recent press releases.

Then to attract more people to our stall, Sean & Eddie played some traditional Irish Music, we even had a very sprightly old lady doing some Irish Dancing.

Then an angel aka Mary Grady took the bucket around the Beer Tent, a brave lady and persuaded them go hand over even more money.
Thank you to everyone who made a donation or bought something, and a big Thank You to Pius on the neighbouring stall for looking after us all and lets not forget Mairead & Margaret, who said they were full of hot air!!

Here we are back in a sunny/rainy Kenya, there has been no rain on the coast since late September so people are praying for the rains to come, every piece of available land is being dug over and prepared.
Life is progressing well at The Good Life Orphanage, our children are doing great and are so happy, it is amazing to see. We have a few new additions and one of the children, Helen, has been reunited with her mother who has been very ill but is fine now.

Elvis arrived from the police station in Mtwapa, he was found abandoned under a mango tree and is about two years old, he is a lovely happy little boy and could tell us his name so we now have an Elvis!!! Mary was picked up from the streets by a Good Samaritan and taken to the local police station, again a beautiful young girl about fourteen months old, she has just started to walk this week.

Juma and Zanibu are Rami’s older siblings, Kevin brought Rami back to visit his extended family and discovered his brother and sister living in another orphanage where they could not even give them one proper meal a day. After speaking to the District Children’s Officer it was agreed that they would be fed and looked after properly at The Good Life so they arrived last week.
And last but by no means least Abdulla, the eldest boy from the family in the village where their mother had passed away has been reunited with his three younger siblings. At eleven years old he is outside our criteria for admission but we felt the need to bring the family together was far more important so we bent the rules slightly.

Even though the majority of the children arrived very dishevelled and malnourished they adapt so easy and within a few days are running around playing with the other children. They are all taught to have good manners and be respectful by their House Mothers and Aunties, it is wonderful to witness the changes to their lives and we have everyone who supports us to thank for this transformation.