the Orphanage itself

Dalton's Caring Home in Kenya has its roots in a small church for street children which was founded by Dalton Owade in June of 2007. The church ministered to dozens of local street children, providing them with food and spiritual guidance. From there, it grew into a school for these homeless or orphaned children, where they could attend drop-in classes. It soon became apparent that what these kids truly needed was a home, so Dalton founded the Caring Home in March of 2008. He rented a small house for the initial dozen or so boys and appointed as Assistant Director a young woman named Lillian, who had been a church member and later a teacher in the growing ministry. When Hope For The Nations gave Dalton the opportunity to attend Youth With a Mission leadership training course in Mombassa, 19-year-old Lillian became the children's full-time mother. The home was left with little financial resources, and is currently in poor shape. The number of children has since doubled, and the 23 children now share a small room with 2-3 kids per bed. The kitchen is outdoors and the single classroom also serves as a play area, church and dining room. The floors in the small house are of dirt, spread weekly with cow manure to reduce the number of burrowing insects. The children have few school supplies, no warm clothes and little access to medical care. While this is a vast improvement over street life, much is needed to bring this home to an acceptable standard of care. Volunteers have been attempting to provide basic food for the children, but monthly support is needed to keep them not only fed, but also healthy and clothed. Our vision for these children is to provide them the basic care necessary for their successful physical, emotional, and spiritual growth. With sufficient funds, we hope to do the following: -Expand their basic staple foods to include the meat, dairy products, fruits and vegetables necessary for healthy development. -Provide each child with a pair of shoes and two sets of clothing. -Move them to a more suitable facility, large enough to accommodate them properly. -Make medical care available, should the need arise. -Assist the children in their spiritual and educational development with proper school supplies and reading material. -Raise a staffing budget for the persons involved in running the home Hope for the Nations has recently purchased an acre of land for the construction of a new facility. The estimated cost of building this home is between $40,000 and $50,000, and would be able to house up to 25 children.