Children at the Bethlehem Orphanage

n Monday 23rd June the team visited Bethlehem Orphanage, a facility that does its best to provide shelter and food for dozens of orphaned children from all over Nairobi. It's run by a dynamo of a lady called Pastor Mary, with support from other bishops and pastors in Nairobi.

Pastor Mary - the dynamic leader of Bethlehem Orphanage

Pastor Mary is always looking for any source of help (including food, which is often in short supply) – whether a one-time donation or an ongoing contribution. They especially would welcome help in the area of education. They need educational supplies - from pens and paper to desks and cupboards - and would welcome offers of assistance with teaching. (A lady from the United States was scheduled to come and help teach English during the team's stay in Kenya, but had pulled out after the threats of terrorist activity.)

The orphanage tries to find relatives of the children so they can become part of a family again; however, sometimes no relatives can be found. Some children stay on as they grow up and help with the running of the orphanage.

Some volunteers drilled a well for the orphanage so it does have a supply of water, which it shares with the Soweto townspeople (see picture below). It also has a cow that has been donated by a British MP through the Send a Cow charity.

Soweto townsfolk collecting water from the tap provided by Bethlehem Orphanage