Need For Land

Last Sunday, Chris, Cyprian and I went to look at some land about 50 minutes away from Nairobi in a town called Ruai. The first piece of land we saw was quite small. The second plot was an acre and seemed great if it had been another half acre or acre. There was a well for water and two toilets already on the property. The last plot of land we saw was the biggest and the nicest. They are selling 4 acres which can be divided if needed so there is plenty of space to build a school, accommodation for the children (there are 47 at the moment but we want to have enough to be able to care for up to 150) and staff, a kitchen area and a small office. The price of the land is 4.1 million shillings ($55,400) but when the man selling the land found out that we were going to be building an orphanage he lowered the price to 3.6 million shillings ($48,650). It is a lot of money but if we were able to raise funds for the land this would help push the process of becoming registered and securing a future for the children we have in our care now. It would not be possible to buy a plot of land this nice close to Nairobi (1 acre can go for over 1 million shillings). If we were able to buy the land the children would have clean air to breathe instead of the dusty smoke filled air of the slum they have become accustomed to. They would have a chance to run around and not be confined to the cement walls they are now growing up in. They will have a chance to grow their own food and be able to sell it to the local community in order to sustain themselves. Seeing what these children's futures can be like has made this cause that much greater. Imagine growing up not knowing anything except sewage filled streets, black smoke exhaust coming out of the buses and mataus roaring down the road, people shouting and yelling selling things, wild dogs roaming the streets, goats, sheep, and chickens drinking the trickle of black disease infested water, the smell and smoke of burning trash, and the bitter smell that fills your nostrils of rotting garbage and feces. Now imagine not having to worry about where fresh water will come from, eating fresh vegetables everyday, breathing clean unpolluted air, not having to worry about contracting a disease or fleas from wild animals, and no rotting blackened sewage that fills the streets. Which one would you prefer to live in?

This exact land we are not going to be able to afford to buy at this moment in time but we are continually looking. We still need to find a plot and build on in within the next 6 months. If we can't, we are not sure what is going to happen to the future of The Robert Henry Academy. We will not have a space to place more than the 50 people which includes the staff who care for the children and the children themselves.

Cyprian, Chris, and I in Ruai after looking at the land

Please pass this along to everyone and hopefully together we can make a brighter future for this generation of wonderful, innocent children. You may not directly be able to help but someone you know may know someone else who can help. Thank you to everyone who has helped out and continues to help. You are much appreciated.