To Expect.
Taraja means expect in Swahili and Taraja Family Home has great expectations for the boys who come to live at the home.
In Kenya, approximately 40% of its population is under the age of 14. 2.4 million children are orphans, 47% of these from AIDS. Many of these children end up fending for themselves on the streets of the slums.
Taraja Family Home is a transitional orphanage for boys. It is a Christian group home for boys in the countryside where they can safely walk to school, have room to play soccer, learn how to care for animals, grow vegetables, cook, wash, and learn valuable life skills.
With so many children needing care, the Kenyan government has instituted policies that mandate whenever possible children are reintegrated with their families and that the best possible alternative family-based care options are identified for children who are unable to live with their biological families. The staff at Taraja works to find caring relatives for the boys who will welcome them home on their breaks from school.
While in primary school, the boys live at Taraja with a house mother and other support staff. Once in secondary school, the boys go to boarding school and come back to Taraja for camp activities before going to visit their relatives.
Challenging Times —>
Bright New Beginnings
In 2007, we were asked us to come to Nairobi to explore possibilities for getting former street boys personal sponsorships. The "Taraja Project" began, as a personal sponsorship program and US teams visited annually to help with projects.
The challenges were many, in part due to the failing buildings and equipment on the allotted land. Ownership of the land was unclear and the local founding agency had their hands full with other interests.
In 2018, in order to better meet the needs of the boys, Taraja Family Home was established as a separate Community Based Organization in Kenya. HOW101 came alongside to help provide not only sponsorships but also the funding for staffing as well as day-to-day needs such as home repairs, transportation, water, farming, and strategic planning for the future.
In late 2020, the staff and boys were asked by the founding agency to vacate their home so the property could be used as a crisis pregnancy center. An abrupt move to a rental property was costly and the boys' morale was shaken. Teams and supplies continued and the ongoing support of the Taraja and HOW101 boards never waivered.
The boards (HOW101/Taraja Family Home) tirelessly worked with any funds raised to prepare a new place to call home. In late 2021, HOW101 was able to send funds that were used to purchase land. The hope of something "new" was contagious. In the Spring of 2022 the land was surveyed and the building process began. An interim plan was developed to use four shipping containers with solar panels, to create bedrooms and common space with attached shower/bathrooms and kitchen as a temporary safe place for the boys and staff to live. The boys excitedly moved to their new safe space in April 2023. A HOW101 team arrived in May to witness the transformation, help with landscaping, and celebrate the joint efforts. The consistent love between the two communities continues to shine and grow hope.
The containers are currently adequate for the boys as we continue to raise funds for a permanent home. The plan is once the permanent home is built, they will convert the shipping containers into a vocational training center so the boys can also learn trade skills.
In March 2024 an additional 1/2 acre of land was acquired and groundbreaking for the new home began! We still need to raise additional funds for the building that will be a new permanent home for these boys and the many other boys who will join them in the future.
