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Our family became passionately involved with St Vincent Maisha Bora Centre, an amazing orphanage on the outskirts of Nairobi, while in Kenya in late 2012. It soon became apparent to us that despite the tireless work of the orphanage’s founder, Sister Mary Jane Orioki, the children were in imminent danger of losing their home and income-producing farm due to an overwhelming inability to make the necessary payments. Please help us to keep this inspiring orphanage up and running, especially in the face of the escalating tension surrounding the upcoming elections in Kenya. We implore you to be as generous as you can, as quickly as you can!
Sister’s Story
Sister Mary Jane began selflessly utilizing her small nun’s stipend to feed the numerous street children she encountered everyday, but had faith and an abiding dream that she could do even more. She founded a small orphanage that has since grown exponentially into the inspiring St Vincent Maisha Bora Centre (SVMBC). With her incredible entrepreneurial spirit, Sister has recently purchased a farm to provide the orphanage with a steady source of income to help it become self-sustaining. Her boundless energy, infectious laugh, and her unwavering faith in the limitless futures she envisions for her children make her truly an inspiration to all those who meet her, including our family. Aiding Sister Mary Jane in providing stability and support to her children is a direct and quantifiable way that we all can have a positive impact on the outcome of these children’s lives and on the lives of those they come in contact with.
The Children’s Stories
Sister’s work does not stop with simply providing the basic necessities of food, clothing, and a safe and loving home for the 30+ orphaned and abandoned children, ages 5 and up, who live in SVMBC. In addition, Sister Mary Jane provides additional monetary support, as exemplified by the medical costs for one young girl who needed 10 skin grafts to be able to move her badly burned arms. She has also helped to fund the legal costs for an orphaned brother and sister, in a successful bid to win back the land that was stolen from them, that enabled the children to return to their village and where they are being raised in their own home. Another amazing feature of Sister’s work is funding boarding school and college fees for her older kids as they complete their inspiring transitions into empowered and self-sufficient young adults. Outside of those directly living in her care, she helps many other struggling children through outreach programs, assisting them in finding and funding various educational and vocational opportunities.
Present Challenges
Currently, Sister’s most pressing challenge is her need of prompt assistance in paying off the debts for the orphan’s house and their farm, both of which are in immediate jeopardy of being lost. Being evicted from their home or losing their small amount of income from the farm would be indescribably devastating to the financial and overall wellbeing of the orphans and Sister Mary Jane. Repairing the heavy damage sustained by the farm from a January windstorm has recently been added to the long list of challenges SVMBC is currently facing. Sister Mary Jane also needs to immediately raise money to pay for this term’s school fees. As a byproduct of the children’s hard work and dedication, many of them have been accepted into more rigorous, prestigious, and unfortunately significantly more expensive schools.
Looking Ahead
The Handel Family/AcaciaKids has partnered with Lift The Children, an established 501(c 3) non-profit that focuses on helping assessed orphanages in Africa, in an effort to quickly raise funds and stabilize the financial health of our beloved St Vincent Maisha Bora Centre. We have provided professional support in Kenya to be assured that all collectively donated funds are promptly transferred to SVMBC and properly used for immediate debt repayment. With this pressure off of Sister’s shoulders, she can refocus on being a loving mother to her children during their times of upheaval. Please join us to keep these kids safe and thriving and donate now!
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