The first building, Hope Home – Rolling Hills Residence, opened in September 2009. It will ultimately be home to 16 children – 8 boys and 8 girls – with the first 13 children already in residence. These children are all ‘true’ orphans who have lost both parents. While we continue to provide a continuum of care, supporting those children who can remain with extended family, it was determined by the community, the extended families, our partners in Kenya, and most importantly, the children themselves that coming into the Hope Home was the best option for these children. They continue to have regular contact with members of their extended families and guardianship continues to be with those family members.
We believe very strongly in working with the local community and its resources as a way of not only partnering but a way to help create local industry. All of the people who helped in the construction were adult members of the community who were paid a fair, living wage for their work. The stones for the foundation were quarried locally. The bricks for the walls were made in the community. The bricks for the next stage of expansion were made on site from the soil excavated for the construction of this residence. Metal beds, metal for the windows and doors were all manufactured in store-front manufacturing operations in Kikima. The wood for the tresses and ceilings were all harvested from local trees. The storage boxes and chairs were built in the local poly-tech and the carpentry students paid for their work – thus helping to pay their school tuitions. Dishes, mattresses, blankets, pots and pans and all things needed for the residence were purchased from local Kikima shops thus allowing the shopkeepers to support their families.
The major exception to the local rule involved the purchase of the solar panels which were not available in Kikima but were purchase in Kenya. These panels will make it possible for all the electricity for the home to be supplied in both an ecological manner – without pollution – but also in a cost effective manner – the home will never need to pay for electricity for its lights (and ultimately a computer lab).
This is very much in line with our policy of trying to create a residence that is self-sufficient. Along with the residents helping to grow their own food, we hope there will also be enough goats and chickens in to not only provide food for the orphans but to sell in the community. Everything is aimed to ultimately create a residence that will pay for most of its own costs.
