A New Home for the

Children of Wajibu Wetu

Wajibu Wetu means “our shared responsibility” in Swahili

What is Wajibu Wetu?

Wajibu Wetu is a children’s orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya. It cares for about 30

resident children and supports a similar number in its outreach programme.

The children are referred to the

orphanage by the authorities at

the age of 3 to 6 in the absence of

a parent or guardian to look after

them. Their parents may have

died (for instance, from Aids) or

they may be unable to take care

of them (because of substance

abuse, for example). In some

cases, the children are taken

away from their parents or guardians because of abuse or malnutrition.

For many years Wajibu Wetu has been supported by a group of UN staff in Nairobi

and their friends and families. We now face the challenge of having to build a new

orphanage and need your help to realize this.

The staff at Wajibu Wetu – on the right George and Jane

The Wajibu Wetu Approach

The Wajibu Wetu orphanage is run by husband and wife George and Jane Kithioma

with the assistance of a small staff and a handful of volunteers. When a child is

referred to the orphanage, the first course of action is to try to find a family member

to care for them. Occasionally, a relative will live in Nairobi, but more often they live

in the rural areas of Kenya. If the orphanage succeeds in tracing a family member,

they are encouraged to take the child in. Wajibu Wetu provides family members who

agree to do so with a small monthly allowance for the child’s upkeep and school fees,

etc. Only when a family member cannot be found who is willing or able to care for

the child, is the child is admitted to the orphanage.

When they arrive at Wajibu Wetu, many of the children are traumatized and unable

to communicate or play. They are also physically or mentally underdeveloped. It is

heartwarming to see how, within a matter of months, they are able to laugh and play

again and start attending school, thanks to the intensive support they receive at the

orphanage (Jane is a professional counselor). All the children go to school. Some

who have already graduated and now have a job come back and help out, with night

shifts, for example.

We Need Your Help

Wajibu Wetu is entirely funded by private donations, from Kenya as

well as from Germany and The Netherlands. Some donors finance

school fees and food, some an annual trip to the coast; others

donate food or clothing or take the children on outings they look

forward to with so much excitement.

At present the orphanage is housed in a number of buildings

constructed on rented land (see the photograph above). The houses

are built of metal sheeting and are of poor quality. Following the

recent death of the landowner, the orphanage was ordered to vacate

the land. A German donor has generously purchased a piece of land

just outside Nairobi for Wajibu Wetu on which a new orphanage can

be built. Staff members of the United Nations Environment

Programme, headquartered in Kenya, have taken it upon themselves

to realize the new accommodation and have been raising funds for

this.

At the end of 2013, the International School of Kenya (ISK) decided

to demolish a number of its old buildings to make way for larger

ones. The ISK offered the UN volunteers one of these old school

buildings for the orphanage. We have since dismantled the building

and moved it to the new site. We now need approximately USD 45,000 to reconstruct it.

To date we have managed to raise USD 17,800, and, with another USD 6,250 pledged, we

are looking for the remaining USD 20,000.

Furniture (beds, tables, chairs) Security (steel window grills) Inside (floors, painting) Electrical wiring and plumbing Kitchen Finishing building interior (plastering, interior walls, doors, toilets, showers, etc) Reconstruction of building (foundation, walls, roof) – materials and labour Transport materials old building to WW site cost of dismantling old building

USD 45,000 20,000 6,500 2,000 0

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The New Building

In July 2014 we started constructing the new

accommodation. The old school building will

be adapted to include a second floor so as to

provide a new home for 50 children.

We are managing the project ourselves: a UN

architect has drawn up the plans, another

colleague the structural details, and a UN

finance officer is keeping the accounts. Rob

de Jong is responsible for the overall project

management together with Wajibu Wetu’s

manager, George Kithioma.

The photograph shows the

building prior to demolition,

and the architectural

drawings our new plans. The

new orphanage will have

boys’ and girls’ bedrooms and

bathrooms, a large living

area, kitchen, office,

storeroom and light tower.

The Old School Building

Our Progress

In July 2014 we started levelling the site. We then laid the

foundations and the floor (20 metres in diameter!). In August

we started building the walls, installed the windows and door

frames and completed the exterior wall. After casting the ring

beams, in November we started on the roof. Our biggest

challenge was positioning the 26

wooden roof poles - each weighing

some 700 kilos - on the roof. Once the

roof is complete – hopefully in January

2015 - we can start on the interior. We

have six people working on the

building – two masons, one carpenter

and three boys to assist them.

Whenever possible, the children of

Wajibu Wetu help at the weekend.

Since there is no running water or

electricity on the site as yet, all the

work is being done by hand!

How You Can Help

All contributions are welcome, whether in kind or financial. We still need the

following:

Bricks and cement to build interior walls

Wooden beams to construct the second floor (we

already have the wooden flooring itself)

Wood to build the interior staircase

Toilets (8) and showers (6)

Tiles or wood to cover the floor

Tiles for the washrooms

Cement to plaster the walls

Paint for the walls

Interior doors and windows

Steel bars for the window grills

Sinks (6) and taps

Plumbing for the bathrooms

Electrical wiring and lighting

Beds: 10 single beds and 20 bunk beds, bedside tables and closets

Dining-room tables and chairs for 60 people

A complete kitchen (we already have two

professional ranges)

Other items such as a television, computers, cutlery.

Contributions can be made as follows:

BANK TRANSFER CASH/ CHEQUE

In Europe: Rob de Jong, ABN AMRO Bank, The

Netherlands - IBAN NL48ABNA0426709098

In Kenya: We have opened a special Wajibu

Wetu account in the name of Rob de Jong and

Maryam Bashir: KCB, UN Gigiri, Nairobi, Kenya

- account no. 1114477974

In Nairobi : Cash or cheques can be given

to Rob de Jong or Maryam Bashir

In Paris: Cash can be given to Eric

Verschuur at the UNEP office

A 100% of all monetary contributions and donations in kind will go to the

orphanage: there are no management or overhead expenses. The finances will be

managed by a UN finance manager. A full financial report including the receipts will

be made available to all sponsors, accounting for all the contributions received. The

names of all sponsors will listed on a wooden plaque at the entrance to the building

in recognition of their support and they will be invited to the opening ceremony. For

those considering in-kind donations, such as building materials or furniture, we

have access to a minivan for the collection of goods.

For more information about sponsoring the new building, please contact Rob de

Jong, e-mail: rob.jong@unep.org, phone +254–20-7624184, skype: ROBDEJONG21

On behalf of the children, thank you for your contribution!