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orphans

YAP Supports Orphan Support Kenya

Orphan Support Kenya is a Non-Profit Community based organization in Kenya. Their mission is to provide a nurturing centre that will be a home for children and women in distress, and to educate and empower them to become self-reliant members of society. 

Listed below are some of the cases and children they are helping in the community.

Emmanuel Josephine: Age 12 years, is not only a partial orphan. The father is deceased and is living with the mother. The boy is in standard 4 also in a nearby school. The mother is not employed but relies on casual labor from neighborhood when she is in good health to feed herself and the boy. However many times they have to rely on neighbors of good will for handouts.

John Mutune,12 years, Irene Mutheu, 8yrs, and Miriam Kavindu, 10 years. This is a child headed family. They live alone in a dilapidated house and in the care of their blind grandmother. Their parents abandoned them due to domestic quarrels; however the mother visits once in a while. John who is in class six is the bread winner for the family and takes care of the blind grandmother. Although other relatives visit once in a while to take food to them; Irene and Miriam fetch water and firewood daily to cook and do their washing. They were enrolled in school with the free primary education but due to lack of school uniform attaining of formal education still remains a dream to them.

Veronica Wabua, 12 years. She lives with the mother who has several other children but who are now grown ups and have now left home to get casual labour jobs at Nairobi as “house maids” to the mother. Education is not a priority and when girls grow old they can feed for themselves and get married. Veronica, when she grows up, wishes to be a nurse, but this is a dream, because she has no support and she is not consistent in school because of the many household chores. The father abandoned the family and is hardly seen at home.

Felistus Mutindi, 8 years, and John Mbai, 5 years. They are a brother and sister. Their both parents are deceased and are living with their uncle and aunt who are daily habitual drinkers of traditional brews. They physically abuse the children and don’t care of their up keep. The children have to fed for themselves from casual labor from the neighborhood and their returns are too shared by their hosts.

Jacqueline Gaiti is a 12 year old girl who has lived and still lives and is taken care of by her great grandmother since she was six years old. The great grandmother is about 83 years old and the two live in small mud house in a ¼ an acre of land; both have to depend on each other. Their survival over the last years has been dependent on farming on the small land which most of the time is futile since the old woman does not have the strength neither does she have the money to buy the seedlings. Well wishers have come to their aid often but not always.

To view the pictures of each of these children, click here

 Click here to support and donate to Orphan Support Kenya. The children in Kenya need your help to improve their lives and bring them hope.

 

 

Help The Orange Giraffe Orphanage in Uganda

The Orange Giraffe Orphanage and Children's Home is a program in Uganda (Africa) under the Foundation for Rural Development and Action Research (FORDAR). The orphanage was targeted as a preschool center for orphans and needy children in order to provide them with food, clothes, soap, shelter, medicine, and education. To learn more about this orphanage click here.

Here are a couple pictures of the Orange Giraffe Orphanage. To look at more pictures, go to the Photo Blog (on the bottom left hand column) and click on Orange Giraffe Orphanage 

The Experiential Learning International (ELI) is able to accept your donations to the Orange Giraffe Orphanage in Uganda. If you would like to donate, please mail a check to the ELI Associates to this address:

Experiential Learning International

2828 N. Speer Blvd., Suite 230

Denver, CO 80211


Conditions of an Orphan

When I visited a few orphanages, I learned how differently they lived from how we live and what restrictions they have rather than us.

The biggest problem about being an orphan is that they have no privacy. Since they have to live with 20-200 people, they have no one to confide with. They never had an adult love and care for them and do not know how it feels like. Orphans have no, as we call it, "alone time". They have to share rooms, T.V, toys, games, and sometimes beds. The only items they have are their clothes.

Another problem about being an orphan is that unlike us, they cannot spend their money on what they want. They do not have the luxury to go out and spend money on whatever they want, whether it is clothes, toys, or games. Orphanages are almost always in need of money, so that places many restrictions on the orphans.

Lastly, orphans do not have as great a chance to achieve their lifelong dream, meaning most of the time they are not what they wanted to be in the future. For example, if an orphan wanted to be a doctor, there would be a very slim chance that the orphan would be a doctor since they do not have parents to guide them and encourage them. They have an orphanage director who has to take care of many orphans ranging from 20-200.

Because of all these restrictions that orphans have and all the advantages that we have, it is our duty to help them and to ensure of them of better lives. If we do not help them, that is simply unfair because we were born fortunate and they were not. Orphans deserve an equal chance to achieve their lifelong dream.

Celebrating 60 Years of Soles & Stripes

Join ShoeBiz & adidas Originals to celebrate adidas' 60th year in the biz! At 1420 Haight ST July 18th 1pm to 6pm[gallery link="file"] Show us your creative skills by contributing our shoe mural and watch our guest artist the iconic 60 year mural. Enjoy beats by DJ Herb Diggs and drinks on adidas Enter to win a pair of Diamond Superstars!(Retail $600) Receive a 60 year Shirt with purchase over $50 Shoebiz will make a donation to Youth Against Poverty equal to the amount of sales during the event. www.youthagainstpoverty.com Quest Artist Kris Mestiz0