The Chege Orphanage is dedicated to the family ideal. In contrast to the dormitory-style orphanages that are prevalent in the area, our Orphanage is designed to feel more like a family home. The children live in small apartments with siblings and caregivers; they attend school outside the home and have standard family obligations such as daily chores. This "family" offers a level of love and support that is difficult to achieve within a large, dormitory-style orphanage.
The Orphanage consists of two adjacent homes, one housing the boys and one housing the girls. A "house mom" lives in each apartment. The homes are separate and autonomous, with multiple bedrooms for children and caregivers, a living room, a bathroom and a small kitchen. The majority of our cooking is done in the larger outdoor kitchen, which was refurbished in 2008. The children and their caregivers come together to share meals in a communal dining room.
Much of the children's food comes from our own vegetable garden, which the children tend and harvest. The garden grows potatoes, spinach, collard greens, beans, kale and onions. We are also the proud owners of a cow, which provides milk for the children. It is important to us that the Orphanage be as self-sustaining as possible.
Our caregivers come from the Nakuru community; they are carefully selected and trained to provide the children with the nurturance and guidance they need to develop into self-confident young adults.
One of our goals is to build a new, larger facility that will provide the children with more living space and ultimately enable us to take in more children.
The Orphanage consists of two adjacent homes, one housing the boys and one housing the girls. A "house mom" lives in each apartment. The homes are separate and autonomous, with multiple bedrooms for children and caregivers, a living room, a bathroom and a small kitchen. The majority of our cooking is done in the larger outdoor kitchen, which was refurbished in 2008. The children and their caregivers come together to share meals in a communal dining room.
Much of the children's food comes from our own vegetable garden, which the children tend and harvest. The garden grows potatoes, spinach, collard greens, beans, kale and onions. We are also the proud owners of a cow, which provides milk for the children. It is important to us that the Orphanage be as self-sustaining as possible.
Our caregivers come from the Nakuru community; they are carefully selected and trained to provide the children with the nurturance and guidance they need to develop into self-confident young adults.
One of our goals is to build a new, larger facility that will provide the children with more living space and ultimately enable us to take in more children.