Kenya: Thomas Barnardo House

While our mornings were spent at Mashimoni, our afternoons were spent at Thomas Barnardo House Orphanage, another project under the same charity. The orphanage is in Nairobi, shares space with Jonathan Gloag Academy and is home to 100-150 children ranging from infants to late teens. The children have either been abandoned, brought in because their families are unable to care for them, or have been orphaned. At TBH, they live in house groups of 15-20 with a house mother who is with them during the week and "aunties" who come during the weekend while the mothers leave to visit their own children. Several businesses run out of TBH to raise funds, including a thrift shop, a wedding service, a bakery, carpentry and dress-making.
We were unsure of what our work at the orphanage would look like but after a few days we got it down to some informal rotations that the kids would move between as they wished. Rusty generally led basketball, Derrick, Gregor and Shawna led football (aka soccer), Chennice and I did some team or group games such as jump roping, relays, etc., and Steph was usually singing, dancing, and chatting with the older kids. Karen had a really special ministry assignmenet in getting to know the house mothers. Being a mother of 5 herself, the mothers really enjoyed praying and talking with her, as well as the manicures she so lovingly gave.
Because there were less children and the time was less formal, we had the opportunity to get to know the kids more personally than at Mashimoni. By the last day I had bonded with quite a few little ones whose faces and joy I will always remember. Among them were Jane, Helen, Doota, and Samuel.
The last day was very special. The leaders called us into the hall, telling us we must "enter with style". The house mothers sang and danced us in, singing songs of thankfulness and goodbyes. Then the choir danced for us and several TBH kids spoke, thanking us for our time. Then they called us back to the front, inviting us to be ambassadors for the home and giving us certificates. As at Mashimoni, we ended with a round of "Toisema" and prayer.