Raising Health in Rising Sun, Kenya

My name is Cathy Doherty. I am a family nurse practitioner living on Lopez Island, Washington, and have been in practice for 38 years. I have been volunteering at Children of the Rising Sun orphanage in Malindi, Kenya for 3 years. I leave for my third trip Sept 27th.

Three years ago, my high school friend Diane Stemach, called me and asked if I would go to Africa with her to volunteer in an orphanage in Kenya. This was not on my bucket list. I still had a son in high school. I voiced all the reasons not to go—cost, bugs, snakes, heat, long plane trip, expense. She had an answer for everything. I went and want to keep going.

 The kids and their “Aunties” (care givers) were amazing. They were given lemons but always seem to make lemonade. They sing their prayers every night, help each other with homework, and chores, and find time to play. No one complains. On my arrival at the orphanage, after 2 days of travel, I was greeted by children wanting to play Bingo—when are we starting?!! It is their favorite game, as we bring small toys and sunglasses for prizes. It is the first thing we do. The kids never ask for anything, except Bingo.

The Lopez community and my relatives supported the last trip, buying jikos (cookers), medications, dental care, school supplies, clothes, shoes. Now I am asking the wider community for help as the needs are so great. I am trying to raise funds for medical care, medications, dental care, clothes, food, books, school supplies, and scholarship money to send older kids to high school. There are so many needs, it is hard to know where to start.

New mattresses are top of the list. Many mattresses are in bad shape due to bed wetting, no diapers, and years of use.  I found a shop that sells plastic covered mattresses in Malindi for $40 each. If I buy many, the price will go down.

Dental care is not readily available due to cost. Many children have dental cavities, broken teeth, and abscesses. On my last trip, I was able to provide funds for 6 children’s dental care. With donations, I could take the ten oldest children for dental care before they age out of the orphanage. I personally take them and pay for services.

Donations could also pay for soccer balls, solar lights (waka waka lights), pencils and sharpeners, and books; items that enrich everyday life for the kids. They typically make soccer balls from plastic bags wrapped in twine. I want to get a real soccer ball. The lights enable the kids to do homework at night as there is only 1 light bulb in the eating area, where most activity takes place. Lastly, there is always a shortage of pencils. On the last trip I brought workbooks to the adjacent school. The teacher had 80 kids in the class and only 3 pencils. I found a place in Malindi the next day that sold school supplies and purchased 100 pencils.

This school is on the same property as the orphanage. There are 750 children. Most classes have 60 to 80 kids in crowded conditions. Learning is difficult when hungry. There is widespread food insecurity. A European donor has started a feeding program of porridge for the younger kids. With enough money, I would like to expand that to all the children. At the orphanage, beans and rice are served twice daily, sometimes with kale, or ugali, and bread for breakfast. There is a garden that helps supply some veggies and there is a milking cow as well. The younger kids and HIV positive kids get milk daily. I buy extra food, fruit, and vegetables. Donations buy fruit, chicken, eggs, vegetables.

This is a tiny place on the other side of the world. A small donation could have an amazing impact on a child. The orphanage is a safe place for these children. Donations and volunteers keep it going.

All donations to my cause go directly to care and services for the children at the orphanage and school. There is no middle man.  It is a joy to bring all my supplies and as I unload see the kids welcome us, smiling, laughing, shouting Bingo? Thank you for reading this and considering a donation.