The Rescue Center
(Hope for Orphans Rehabilitation Center)
Contributed by Marty Sheppard
In March of 2003 Christine Wambui of Nairobi, Kenya, grieved the loss of her sister to AIDS. As she shared her loss with a friend who was HIV+, her friend said, “Your sister should not have died. Had we known earlier, we could have helped her.”
On that day, Christine vowed she would not stand by and watch another friend or relative die because of AIDS. She knew with the help of God she could help others fight AIDS. Christine started volunteering for an organization made up of women with AIDS. She became educated about the disease and learned about medicines available to help fight it. (Many did not arrive in Kenya until 2004.) She cared for bedridden mothers. She drove them to and from the medical clinics. Yet when many of these women passed away, there was no one to care for their children. Instead of letting these children roam the streets, she began taking some home with her. Christine’s husband soon learned there would be more than just their four children in their home when he returned from work. One day he found five extra children. Over the next few months, she rescued many young orphaned girls being abused and left to be the head of the household after their parents’ death.
The number of orphans grew. Eventually, Christine sold her hair salon, her house in the city having electricity and indoor plumbing, and most of her belongings. A small house was rented and Christine started accepting children who either had AIDS or lost their parents to AIDS. The year was 2005 and Hope for Orphans Rehabilitation Center (the Rescue Center) was established. A full-time housemother was hired to live with and cook for the children. The number of orphaned children soon grew to 25. The two-bedroom orphanage was bursting at the seams. The monthly rent payment was depleting her funds. She now dreamed of “owning” a home for these children.
Christine never gave up. She shared her story and told of her needs to all who would listen. During the summer of 2007, a young girl from Illinois learned of the Rescue Center and spent two weeks helping with the orphans. Upon her return to the US, she raised and sent Christine enough money to purchase one acre of land on which a new structure for the children could be built. Christine’s determination to find funding for this future home for the Rescue Center was never ending. A branch of the Barclay’s Bank in Nairobi gave her the money…and the construction began. December 19, 2008, twenty-five children and their meager belongings moved into their new home. It was an exciting day for all.
Global Hope also learned of Christine’s needs. In April of 2008, Jacci Knight traveled to Nairobi to meet Christine and the children she was caring for in person. After a successful and encouraging visit, Global Hope pledged to help pay the wages of a full-time housemother for the children. That pledge has increased to include covering the wages for the cook and the night watchman…as well as assistance with other operational costs.
In January, 2009, Global Hope’s first short-term mission team arrived in Nairobi to serve at the Rescue Center. The children greeted the international team of six (4 Americans and 2 Romanians) with songs of welcome. This team painted the girls’ and boys’ dormitory style bedrooms. They built a clothesline and did a few other small projects on site. Most importantly, they showed God’s love and kindness to the children and staff. They had come to labor in the name of God help, but went home feeling they were the ones who had been given the gift of love.
This is not the end of the story. Christine continues to seek support, financial and personal, for the many needs. In 2009 she received a donation, which has allowed them to dig the first 10 feet of a future well. Having their own source of water means they no longer will they need to spend money to purchase it. The resource of water will make it possible to grow food for themselves. Learning to plant seeds and bringing them to harvest will be a valuable skill for the children to learn.
On that sad day in 2003, Christine asked the Lord how she could help the many Kenyan women diagnosed with AIDS. Not knowing the road God would ask her to follow, she gave away her selfishness and dedicated herself to helping others. She has given hope to children who were left with none. She offered them love and an extended family. Never did Christine imagine that this road would not only impact her family and the AIDS victim’s families, but also touch the hearts of businessmen, neighbors and Christians around the world. May 17, 2009, the orphans sponsored a “Memory Day” in their community. They had a memorial service for their parents who are now in Heaven and provided education about the HIV/AIDS disease to their neighbors and community. This service also brought about an awareness of the needs of the orphans. That same afternoon a neighbor delivered a box of vegetables for the children’s dinner.
Check out pictures on our Kenya Photo Gallery page or see more pictures & videos at http://kenyamissions.shutterfly.com.
