Happy Home Orphanage
(last update of this web site: May 10 2008)
Welcome à "HAPPY HOME"
The orphanage Happy Home is a project to help orphans and vulnerable children. . It is located in the south-west of Kenya. Our "happy home" opened its doors the 2nd november 2006 and welcomes now up to 25 children.
In the name of all our children,
welcome on our website !!!
Click on the links below for the whole story...
1. Why an orphanage in Stella?
Why an orphanage in Stella?
Sadly because there is an enormous need of orphanages in Nyanza region. The number of orphans is very high and poverty makes it very difficult for their relatives, aunts and uncles, or grandparents, to care for them. Still, most families are hosting orphans at home. Being a burden for their host families, the children often need to work hard as a sign of thankfulness for the received care. When asking people about the number of children they have, the answer is mostly “5 children of my own, then 3 orphans from my brother, and I also take care of my parents”.
HIV/AIDS in Nyanza province
One of the main reasons for the growing number of orphans is the high rate of HIV/AIDS in this region. Some traditional customs, as the inheritance of women by the brother of the diseased, were originally created to assure social and financial support and care for the widow. In this context, they became dangerous games, taking away all family members in working age one by one. Soon, grandparents stay behind with their 10 to 20 grandchildren. How can grandparents ensure a living and education for their grandchildren, when they become too old to work on the field themselves?
Nyanza province is Kenya’s poorest province with an urban poverty rate of 63 per cent and a rural poverty rate of 65 per cent (according to inequality reports by Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) and the Society for International Development (SID)). Poor education standards and high infant mortality rates are the biggest indicators of the poverty situation. For instance, Nyanza reports 206 deaths per 1000 live births before their fifth birthday.
Nyanza also has one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence in the country at 15.1 per cent, compared to the 7 percent prevalence rate for Kenya. Although the decrease in prevalence from 15 percent in the mid-1990s looks encouraging, this picture does not show an improvement, but rather an increase in HIV/AIDS orphans. Indeed, Kenya’s HIV/Aids epidemic has entered a “death phase” in which more people are dying of Aids-related complications than are getting infected, wherefore the total percentage decreases. The result is a growing number of orphans. Estimates indicate that about 65,000 adult Kenyans and 25,000 children become infected with HIV every year, while a total of 150,000 die of the disease annually (according to a copy of the draft Kenya National HIV/Aids strategic Plan 2005/6-2009/10). This is twice the number of those who died in 1998.
The most urgent is an orphanage
As a conclusion, a personal experience can illustrate the urgent need for new orphanages. During a Participatory Rural Appraisal exercise in a village in Migori district, the women were asked about which type of organisation would be necessary in this village. We were thereby thinking about NGOs, microfinance institutions, agricultural extension, etc. But the women answered none of the previous, but said the most important would be an orphanage. This village is located about 8km from “Happy Home”.
Participatory Activities
The birth of “Happy Home” Orphanage
In Stellah Village, in front of the fuel station, a small hospital had been created about 15 years ago by the Sagwa family. This hospital had good times, but lately the number of patients became very low and the hospital began having problems for maintaining staff and available medicine. As the need for this hospital decreased, the Sagwa family was planning to change its purpose, into maybe an orphanage, as they had been hosting and educating a number of them.
In April-May 2006 they started hosting me, Isabelle Vandeplas. I am a young Belgian women working with farmers on the development of agricultural projects in the area. I had worked as a volunteer for the World Food Programme (WFP) in Benin, on a project of orphan feeding. I had visited many orphanages and had been touched by the efforts of normal people to raise, feed and educate up to 60 of these children on their own salary. When leaving the WFP, I had saved some money from my travel allowances, planning to invest it later for orphans.
Adding to this, a neighbour and good friend of the family, Tom Jeserem, heard about this project and explained he had been manager of an orphanage some years ago. The team grew and allowed us to start seriously thinking about changing the hospital into an orphanage.
2. The Children
Our Children
The orphanage will admit all total orphans, boys and girls, from 0-18 years, both able and light physical disabled. Save for the mentally disabled who need adapted care. The orphanage will give priority to brothers and sisters with the policy of keeping families together.
Capacity
The building has a maximum capacity of 60-70 children but we will start with 15 children only, to ensure sustainability. Once a sufficient and stable budget is available the number of children will be increased.
Education and Training
Education will be provided as follows: 0-6 years ECD, 7-14 years Primary, 15-18 years Secondary/Vocational training, thereafter possibly private studies. During Weekends and leisure time, children will be introduced to agricultural and income generating activities, as to prepare them for their future. Plans include: a vegetable garden, fruit trees, a field for subsistence farming, livestock and poultry.
Recreation and free time
Children will be exposed to sports, indoor and outdoor activities and games, a small library, and celebrations for birthdays and other. Children will be allowed visits from relatives and friends, and will be allowed to go home during holidays. And, as a home, they will be informed of the rules of the home by the management and to whom to report to when in need.
Health and Protection
HEALTH: - The institution has a medical unit with qualified medical personnel. - Mosquito nets are provided to every child. - The grass on the compound will be cut regularly. - Clean and purified water will be provided. - Children will be trained on basic hygiene.
PROTECTION AGAINST ABUSE: Children will be protected from physical, sexual, physiological, verbal, abuses. They will also not be mixed at the time of sleeping. Caretakers will be with the children throughout and a night guard will watch over their safety by night. Nor their relatives, nor workers will be allowed to molest them. Neither will the children be allowed to molest each other.
FIRE PROTECTION: The institution will have fire extinguishers. Staffs and children will be trained on evacuation and exit facilities will be provided.
Religion
Children will not be forced to any religion, and neither will they be discriminated on their religion or clothing background.
school children
3. The Home
The Home
Infrastructure
The future home is a permanent facility. The building is comprised of two blocks. It was built in 1990 and initially used as a medical institution. It is situated at Stellah market along Kisii-Migori road, formally known as Medicare Nursing Home. The buildings are well ventilated, corrugated steel roofed and all rooms having ceiling.
-------front view of the building
Initially, only the smaller building in the rear will be used, as this is sufficient for 15 children. Indeed, the larger building in the front requires major renovations of the roof and ceilings. These costs can be postponed to a later date.
Details can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.
------------the rear building ------------------the front building ------
Accommodation
The children will sleep in separate dormitories (one for girls, one for boys, one for younger kids 0-5). Beds with mattresses, bed sheets, blankets and pillows will be available for the children. Individual mosquito nets will be provided.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Happy Home - the building.pdf | 275.54 KB |
4. Our Vision and Mission
Our Vision
Children, while being innocent themselves, are the victims of poverty, corruption, and HIV/AIDS. Orphans are left behind in society and often suffer from loneliness, discrimination and lack of education.
Our Mission
To give them a second chance to live a better life, to love and to be loved, get quality education and grow up in a caring family, through collaboration with the community, friends, relatives and the Government.
Overall aims of the institution
- Give a family to orphans.
- Provide education to them
- Taking care of their social and economical needs
- Preparing them for a better future.
5. The Organisation
The Organisation
Registration of the Orphanage
The orphanage is registered with the Department of Social Services, Ministry of Gender, Culture and Social Services (see certificate on the bottom of this page). Registration with the Children Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs is in process and can be completed only once the children are present in the home.
Organisational structure
Management Board
The orphanage will be managed by the "Board of Trustees", based in Kenya, in collaboration with the permanent donors, further called the "Donor Board". The Board of Trustees will be in charge of the day to day management but will consult the Donor Board for any important decision.
In addition, the bookkeeping and accounts will be open for insight by the Donor Board. Monthly reports will be sent to the Donor Board to inform them about the accountancy and the children’s welfare.
The Board of Trustees
| Name (Nationality) | Education | Role in Orphanage |
|---|---|---|
| Mdeizi Alfred Sagwa (Kenyan) | Marketing Mgt & Public relations | Public relations - Kenya |
| Tom Jeserem (Kenyan) | Accountant (and former orphanage manager) | Manager - Accountant |
| Isabelle Vandeplas (Belgian) | Agronomy & Development Studies | Public relations - Europe |
| George-Edouard Lelievre-Douyon (Canadian) | Management & Development Studies | Public relations - America |
| Rose Kavulani Sagwa (Kenyan) | Nurse (and treasurer for different non profit organizations) | Stock-keeper |
From left to right: Tom, Alfred , Rose, Isabelle, Edouard.
The manager
Tom Jeserem
Box 561-40400 – Suna, Migori – Kenya
Tom has 5 years of experience as a manager of an orphanage in Mohorone, Kisumu.
Staff Employment
Initially, the number of staff will be kept to a minimum, using day-night shifts with at any moment one caretaker and one nurse present. One of the caretakers will be a trained social worker. Initially, the weekends will be organised by giving one day free to each. Once funds are available one additional nurse and one additional caretaker will be employed to allow for Weekends and annual leave. Staff will be requested to live in the surrounding of the orphanage to keep easy contact with the children.
The staff will sign a commitment of transparency, honesty and care for the children. Children will not be beaten in the orphanage. Staff will be employed under the Kenyan labour laws.
Initially, for 15 children, the staff will comprise:
1 Manager Day
1 Social Worker Day
1 Caretaker Day (12 hours)
1 Caretaker Night (12 hours)
1 Security Officer Night
1 Available Nurse On call (neighbour)
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| registration certificate.JPG | 77.75 KB |
6. Financing and donations
Financing
Funding and self-sustainability
The cost of hosting, feeding, clothing, and caring for a child in the orphanage has been estimated at 30 EURO (=2700 KSh) per child and per month.
Yes, only one Euro per day !
On top of that, the fixed monthly cost for running the orphanage, starting up with limited staff, amounts 500-EUR (=45.000KSh). This covers salaries, maintenance, etc.
For the final stage, when we will be hosting 60-70 children, we made a budget of 1000-EUR fixed cost, plus 30-EUR per child. All together 3000-EUR per month.
You will understand that we therefore need large amounts of money on a monthly basis. This is why we encourage monthly sponsoring !
Individuals in Kenya, and abroad
We are looking for sponsors in Kenya, Belgium, USA, Canada and elsewhere. In every country, a small liaison office is now setup to organize the fundraising locally.
For details, see tab How to Help
Local donations from the communities surrounding Stellah will also be encouraged to increase the local ownership of the project.
Permanent donors will be informed quarterly by e-mail about all details of incomes and spendings, and the advances in the works, and about the children.
Funding and support by Organizations and NGOs
The orphanage seeks for support from NGOs in Kenya, Belgium, USA and Canada. These NGOs will be requested to support the children’s food, education, health and clothing and to help provide infrastructure. Donor organizations will be informed about the use of their funds or gifts. They will be free to request all type of information about budgeting, number of children and working philosophy.
Projects for self-subsistence
The aim is to make the orphanage as self-subsistent as possible for food.
- Around the building a vegetable garden will be made for kale (sukuma wiki), other green vegetables, tomatoes, onions and other daily needs.
- Fruit trees will be planted in the same compound.
- A field will be sought for planting maize and soybeans (and other).
- Some poultry will be kept in the compound to provide meat and eggs.
- At longer term a small number of cattle can be kept for milk production, meat and sale.
- Other projects ideas are welcome.