Jehovah Jireh Orphanage

There's a great opportunity for twenty or more folks to join me on a mission trip to Kenya in August. One of our project sites is located in Nairobi. Jehovah Jireh orphanage is home to over 60 children, most of whom have lost their parents to AIDS and some of whom are HIV positive themselves. For two days we'll offer basic medical check-ups for these children while some on the team will work to improve their living conditions.

Jehovah Jireh started as a vision of the Anglican Archbishop of Nairobi. Unfortunately he died soon after taking the first steps to open the orphanage. Since that time a dedicated handful of people have struggled to keep Jehovah Jireh open. The orphanage was a personal project of the Archbishop and, as such, has never been supported as a ministry of the Anglican Church itself. Recently a nearby Anglican congregation, St. Catherine Tumiani, has agreed to support the orphanage but they have very limited resources, as well.

As of today Jehovah Jireh is managed by Florence as the only real full time staff person. That's right, an orphanage of over 60 children with only a single full time staff person. The facilities are actually an abandoned rock quarry headquarters and definitely not designed as living quarters. The children sleep in bunk rooms that are no more than brick and concrete storage rooms where bunk beds have been set up in rows. In an adjacent room each child has a small trunk to hold all their earthly possessions.

On my most recent trip to Kenya this past September the wonderful and generous people on the team offered financial aid for Jehovah Jireh. Some of this is providing a couple of tutors for the children (they attend the public school in the area) and money for food and mosquito nets. There is so much more need here and our trip in August will be another step in helping this orphanage become a better place for these children with nowhere else to go.

If you're a medical professional please consider taking a week of your time to change the lives of children in desperate need. If you're not a medical professional you can make a difference in other ways as we work to improve the bunk rooms this year.

I hope you'll join us on this mission trip from August 28 to September 5. A deposit of $200 by April 1 is required to secure your spot on the team with the remaining balance to be paid in two installments. Read my previous posts to see more details about costs and what's covered. I really hope you'll join us in Kenya this year.