by Hemed Jumaa
Angel and Anne joined The Good Life Orphanage Family on 4th March 2016 from Kikambala Rescue Centre, as with all our children we spend time researching their background. We have found that although the children are often placed in our care after being abandoned they actually have extended family that are unaware of their situation.

Aunt Priscillar, William &  madam Lina with the kids

After six months of investigations we discovered that Angel & Anne had family in Kisumu, we then started the procedure to reunited them with their extended family. The journey commenced on Friday the 9th December, 2016 at around 4:00 pm travelling to an area known as Kadango. We travelled together with a cousin of their mother called Penina whom we had traced after their admission. Angel was worried about reuniting with her extended family since she said she knows nobody there and she even shed tears when she was saying good bye to her fellow children at GLO but Ann was very happy and she was proudly telling the other children that she was going back to their home.

Angel & Anne say goodbye to their GLO family

It was a long tiresome journey for us all and on the way Ann started vomiting and developed some fever but after some small First Aid she was able to recover. We reached Kisumu town at 9:15 AM the following day. We then met another family member who guided us to the home place. After freshening up, we all sat for tea,chapati and bread which was ready waiting for us. The girls really enjoyed the meal and they started cheering up.

Anne & Angel enjoy chai & bread on arrival at their family home

After the tea, we had a brief introduction and most of the talking was done in Luo. They explained that the girl’s mother Christine was very unsettled after her sister was brutally murdered and moved to Mombasa where she cut off all contact with the family. They were ashamed to learn that she had abandoned the two girls as the family were always a close & supportive family.

The girls with their great-aunt

Angel and Anne’s great uncle concluded that a family meeting had been scheduled to take place that evening and he expressed his desire to take care of the two girls, there was a feeling of joy in the family as they were very happy to be able to help their nieces. I was also very surprised to see the idyllic village where the girls were now going to live, it is a world away from the mayhem of Mtwapa.

photos of their great grandfather's home2

On Sunday morning before I started my journey back, I had a meeting with the grand uncle together with his wife and Penina, they promised they will give the girls a secure environment for them to grow up in whilst enjoying the love of their family. By the time I was saying good bye the girls had already bonded well with the other children and they were busy helping their aunt to sun dry some fish which were later fried for sale.

Anne & Angel enjoy drying fish

As with all the children we re-integrate back with their family we will continue to monitor the situation and support them with school fees. It is always very rewarding to find extended family prepared to accept our children back into their unit as we find it is what the majority of our abandoned children long for.

Privacy Preference Center