Location

On the eastern coast of Africa, in the country of Kenya, in the Nyanza Province, in the Siaya district, in the Wagai Division, in the N.W. Gem Location, in the Sirembe sub-location, in the Hundro Village lies the property where Restore Humanity wants to help start an orphanage. This is in the southwest corner of Kenya, near the border of Uganda.

The Opot family, who Sarah Fennel (Founder of Restore Humanity) has been very close to for the last seven years, has offered a building that is on their property to work with Restore Humanity and start the orphanage. The orphanage will be called “The James Christopher Opot Center for Children” named after the late James Opot who built the building that we will be renovating for the center, which is also on his property. He was a man that spent his life helping his community, so there couldn’t be a better name for the center. Restore Humanity is honored to be working with his incredibly loving family to uplift this community and bring honor to his name.

Current Situation

Kenya’s population has tripled over the past 30 years, leading to increasing pressure on natural resources, a widening income gap and rising poverty levels that erode gains in education, health, food security, employment and incomes. The causes of rural poverty include:
  » Low agricultural productivity, exacerbated by land degradation and
      insecure land tenure
  » Unemployment and low wages
  » Difficulty in accessing financing for self-employment
  » Poor governance
  » Bad roads
  » High costs of health and education
  » HIV/AIDS

Kenya Statistics

  » Population: almost 35 million
  » 58.3% (1997) live under $2 per day
  » 22.8% (1997) live under $1 per day
    *The poverty levels have been increasing since data
  » Only 3 million have electricity
  » 1.9 million orphans
  » 1/3 of these orphans have lost their parents to AIDS

Nyanza Province Statistics

  » Population: 5 million people
  » 240,000 orphans
  » 74.8% of these orphans live with their grandparents

The need for this project is urgent. Many of these children are living day to day. Two children died suddenly in that area while Sarah Fennel (founder of Restore Humanity) was visiting. The immense poverty has lead to extreme malnutrition, there is little access to medical assistance, and the medical assistance that is available the population is not educated about. These factors combined with AIDS spreading lead to extremely weak immune systems that cannot ward off common treatable diseases, as a result children are dying unnecessarily. We must take action now. We can make a difference.

SOURCES
www.ruralpovertyportal.org/english/regions/africa/ken/index.htm
http://hivaidsclearinghouse.unesco.org/ev.en.php?ID=7023_201&ID2=DO_TOPIC
www.givemeaning.com/propsal/Kabondo
www.communityinitiative.org/Community%20Initiative%20Project1.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenya
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyanza_Province