Kolfe older boys orphanage

playing basketball in the cafeteria

the kitchen - they cook with wood - look at the size of that pot!

dorm rooms - missing windows-brrrrr

Their garden

After months of reading about these incredible young men, we finally got to go there and meet many of them and see their orphanage. It is a government run orphanage really in deplorable conditions. The only improvements that have been made have been funded from private donations and a couple of agency donations (including Gladney). The boys really were friendly and polite, some so quiet, others more eager to talk and try their English. The boys range in age from 12-19 in one section and the older young men in another. They are allowed to stay there if they are going to school (which I think is great), so some are in their 20's. We watched 3 boys play basketball - 1 on 1 while the 3rd one acted as the hoop with his arms in a big circle. Also, they showed us a little garden they had in which they sold the produce and used the $ to buy things for the orphanage. Actually, a handicapped young man who grew up in the orphanage studied agriculture and came back to help them set up the garden and work it.

Thank you to several of you from church who gave us donations for these young men. We had 3 huge (50 lbs) suitcases full of donations - mostly new clothes, underwear and socks. We gave them to the "missionary guy" to distribute and I am sure they were blessed by it.