The Children's Home

Morris and I visited our first Children’s Home today. It is not run by TSA. It is run by Government and ‘well-wishers’, people who donate funds to keep the home operating. This Home is located next to one of our corps where we were holding a gathering. The director, a caring young man named Christopher, and some of the children came to our gathering and participated. At the end of the service, we were invited to visit the Home. Our schedule was tight because we had a four hour drive to Kakamega before dark, but we could not forfeit this opportunity.

Our first stop was the nursery – who can resist babies? J  It was a small room with two cribs – one baby in one crib and two babies in another. The babies were between 2-3 months old. We were told their stories included being rescued by the Child Welfare office and another abandoned by a young parent. These three precious infants could steal your heart in a flash.

Morris and I got to hold one baby each. I held a little Joel, and Morris held Joyce. (Morris has a special place in his heart for little girls!). They snuggled into our necks with no hesitation. I remembered how important ‘flesh on flesh’ is to babies. We didn’t want to let them go. When I placed Joel back in his crib, he started to cry, as if he had been really enjoying the snuggle. Oh my heart!

Our attention was then directed to the room adjacent to the nursery.  It was like our hearts expanded as we saw about 8 cribs in a room that was probably 8 X 12 feet. These were the toddlers, two or three in a crib. Two of the children had some disabilities, they had their own crib.  We had to fight back tears as we walked among the cribs to say hi and touch the little ones hands. Some of them were asleep. After a few minutes, one little one woke up and when he saw the ‘white man’, he started to cry loudly and others followed.  So we did a quick exit from the room, not wanting to disturb the children. Back in the nursery we met a lady, Jennifer, who Christopher called the ‘Mom’ of the babies. She was cuddling Joel and we were told she is one of the employees for the baby section. We took time to pray over the little ones and thank the staff for their good work.

Christopher then took us outside to meet the older children. There are 144 children living there right now, ranging from infancy to high school age. Outside the children were playing in the open area. There were some swings in the playground and a small indoor multi-purpose room where we gathered to hear the children sing. What a pleasure to hear these kids raise their voices with great gusto: “Who made the stars that twinkle in the sky, who made the rain that falls so hard, who made the pretty butterfly, and who made me and you – our Father God” and then another tune: “We have chosen a better way, we will serve God for the rest of our life.” Music to our ears!! Morris shared a few words with them and said a prayer. They kept saying “Ah sante sana” (thank you for coming).

The visit to this Children’s Home was short so we didn’t get to ask all the questions we wanted to. From what we could gather, the opportunities for adoption are quite few and many of them stay at the home until they finish school.  Most of the children come there when the Child Welfare Ministry becomes aware of situations where parents are deemed unfit to raise children. Christopher said: “some of the children have witnessed or experienced abuse, some have even witnessed the suicide of their parents. Every once in a while, an infant baby is left at the gate and they take the child in.”

We could see some of the older kids helping the younger ones. I began to think that perhaps it is like a big family or a small community. They support each other.  They probably bicker and tease each other too. They have rules to follow and adults to take care of them.  When the kids are young, they are given some basic pre-school education. When they are of age, they go to the schools nearby – one of the main Primary schools being a Salvation Army school near the corps next door. Some of the high school age youth are doing exams each year and hoping to continue with their education.

It’s easy to ‘feel sorry’ for these children. And yes, it definitely was one of the most heart wrenching visits Morris and I have made, especially to the nursery and toddler room. (If we were a few years younger, we would probably be having another conversation.)  We can certainly appreciate the reward and the challenge the 28 staff have as they continue to run this facility of love.

Perhaps most child psychologists and many of us would say that children flourish best in individual homes, if they are healthy ones, and not as much in institutions. Yet sometimes institutions are necessary. Where would many of these children be without such a place?

I am very grateful that Youth and Child Protection is one of the key pillars of The Salvation Army’s Accountability movement. The Army has always worked hard to protect children – in our churches, camps, and other Salvation Army facilities. Now there is even more emphasis and accountability measures to ensure every child is safe and treated with dignity. Physical punishment is not tolerated and every child must be provided with a high standard of health and nurturing in each area of their development.

I often wondered which part of living and serving in Kenya would affect me the most.  This visit today comes close to the top of that ‘wondering’.  I’ve heard many people who have served in developing countries speak of how they left a piece of their heart there. I think a piece of mine got dropped in a nursery and toddler room today.

God bless every child who lives on this planet.  May we all find some way to contribute to some child’s wellness and growth.

Me and baby Joel

Outside in the yard of the Children's Home.

Christopher is standing to the far left and 

the DDWM (Divisional Director of Women's Ministries) to the far right. 

The kids were a little shy getting their photo taken.