In 2024, Bread and Water for Africa® was able to provide support to a total of 485 orphaned, abandoned and destitute children and youth under 18 in four sub-Saharan African countries either living in orphanages and children’s homes, or through an outreach foster care programs.
Thanks to our supporters, we provide grants to four orphan care programs in sub-Saharan Africa where they are provided with the basic necessities of food, clean water, healthcare and an education to enable them to build a better life as they enter adulthood.
Sadly, in sub-Saharan Africa, millions of orphaned and abandoned children have no one to care for them, unsure of where they will sleep at night and when they will get their next meal.
But since 1997, Bread and Water for Africa® has been providing support for loving homes for vulnerable children in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. There, these children find a “mommy,” “brothers and sisters,” and a true sense of family. Upon arrival, they share a roof, enjoy three nutritious meals daily, and gain access to educational opportunities—free from worries.
However, our partnership with Phyllis Keino, founder of the Lewa Children’s Home in Eldoret, Kenya, and Bread and Water for Africa® International Spokesperson, began years before when an appeal went out in 1988 to raise funds for an orphanage run by Phyllis and her then-husband Olympic gold medalist Kip Keino who had started taking orphaned children into their home.
Today, after decades of support and strong leadership by Phyllis, the Lewa Children’s Home is virtually self-sufficient due to its Baraka (Blessings) Farm and its dairy operations which is generating income through its sales of milk and cheese, and currently is home to 33 children and youth (18 girls and 15 boys) from preschool to high school age, with one graduate awaiting acceptance into university.
In Tanzania, our newest orphan care partner, the Watoto Wa Africa (Children of Africa) orphanage, was on the verge of shutting its doors until Bread and Water for Africa® stepped in in 2023 providing grant funding to rectify material deficiencies noted by the government that the orphanage had no financial ability to address, starting with inadequate bed and bedding for the 86 orphans and “street children” living there.
Since then, Bread and Water for Africa® has been providing grant funding to provide what Watoto Wa Africa (WWA) founder and program director Josephat Kirutu describes as “essential financial assistance” to the orphanage.
“The primary focus of this project is to ensure the continuous and uninterrupted care of the 86 orphaned and vulnerable children residing at the orphanage,” says Josephat, noting that this care includes the provision of nutritious food, covering operational expenses, and paying salaries for the staff who provide daily care and support to the children.
Once the immediate pressing concerns were addressed to prevent the closure of the orphanage, thanks to our supporters we were able to fund capital improvements to the building structure itself by painting the building, replacing doors, roofs and windows, adding security fencing and making significant upgrades to the kitchen.
More recently, we provided funding to purchase eight hectares (nearly 20 acres) of land, which has been plowed and planted with sorghum grain (a nutritious food rich in protein, dietary fiber, B vitamins and minerals), sweet potatoes, corn, greens and more.
In addition, we provided funding to construct a small, simple “watchmen’s house” as well as drill a well i to provide irrigation to the farmland during the long dry season.
Says Josephat: “The Orphan Care Program Support Grant is not just a short-term solution; it is a strategic investment in the long-term sustainability and independence of Watoto Wa Africa Orphanage.
“By stabilizing immediate financial needs and supporting the development of efficient operations and diversified funding strategies, the grant will empower the organization to achieve a higher level of self-sufficiency.”
In Zambia, our longtime partner, the Kabwata Orphanage and Transit Centre, is currently providing a home for a total of 99 children and youth – 57 girls and 42 boys – living on the premises, in addition to dozens of others who are supported in foster home situations.
Founder and director Angela Miyanda notes that the children who are brought there by government authorities “typically arrive sickly, malnourished, poorly dressed and often neglected, abandoned or domestically abused.
“This means that our response to these cases is generally consistent, though tailored to each individual’s specific circumstances,” she added. “Those who are housed in our home receive medical treatment, care, and support, with their cases being documented and regularly reviewed to monitor progress and adjust care as needed.”
Kabwata administrator Simambo Miyanda (Angela’s son) reports that the grant funded operational costs of the home, including nutrition, healthcare, utilities, salaries for caregivers and staff, transportation, essential supplies, and other incidentals.
Specifically, Simambo said the grant was utilized as planned, focusing on the following objectives: providing nutritious meals to the children and youth; ensuring health clinic visits whenever they fell ill; providing educational support until they reach their full potential; and promoting the overall well-being of each child benefiting from the program.
“The funded programs have consistently contributed to meaningful advancements in the children’s physical, emotional, and educational well-being,” he commented. “With the generous support, we’ve created a safe environment, ensured access to proper nutrition, and offered educational opportunities.
“As a result, the children have developed greater resilience and improved social integration over time.”
And in Zimbabwe, another longtime partner, Shinga Development Trust and its Lerato Children’s Home, was founded by Margaret Makambira “to offer a place of safety for orphans and vulnerable children in Zimbabwe that will be able to promote physical, social, spiritual, psychological and emotional growth.”
Other goals for Margaret and Lerato are to: empower children to reach their full potential for self-sufficiency through livelihood training; provide access to formal education for orphans and vulnerable children and youth; as well as to increase the overall ability, accessibility, sanitation and hygiene of water to people in the Mutare Rural District where Shinga is located.
Lerato offers a myriad of orphan care program activities including case management, educational assistance counseling, health and medical assistance, mentorship programs, recreational activities and family tracing and reunifications for those with traceable families.
In July 2024, in her grant request Margaret told us the funding “will be used to promote access to quality, comprehensive services for orphans and vulnerable children under the home’s care.
“This will be achieved by offering a conducive home environment that fosters the physical, social, spiritual, psychological, and emotional growth and development of these children.”
