Orphanage

The forth aspect of our program is based on Omwabini’s orphanage and dormitories. In early 2009, Omwabini built an orphanage for children aged 3-13, and dormitories for children ages 14-17. The orphanage is home to around 500 children who are either complete orphans or children from such impoverished homes that it was considered to be in the child’s and the family’s best interest to place him or her in our orphanage.

Many of the children have come from the streets while others are the smallest and most vulnerable siblings in some of the orphan headed households we are working within the community outreach program. Omwabini also has girls and boys dormitories for adolescents at our center. These dormitories are for both orphans and for the siblings of orphan headed homes or vulnerable children from extremely impoverished families. These dormitories function much like the dormitories at boarding schools though they are free to the students staying with us. It has been found to be more cost-effective to have donors support the dormitories at the Omwabini center while supported children attend day secondary school rather than pay the higher fees of full boarding schools. With a sustainable plan for the long-term support of these facilities, Omwabini has the desire, land and energy to expand these facilities.

Though careful evaluation and resource management is necessary, there remains desire and potential on the part of Omwabini to expand these facilities in order to meet the needs and address the suffering the smallest children face when their families are lost or broken.