How A Visit To The Orphanage Changed My Perspective On Life
Why you need to visit orphanages regularly
“If you have been blessed, be a blessing to others,”- Bill Campbell.
Life becomes more meaningful when you encounter less privileged people.
If life has been fair to you, it makes sense to give back to those who do not have. No one was created by accident. Everyone deserves to have a life.
My visit to the orphanage last year was eye-opening.
It was my first time visiting an orphanage in Kenya where I have lived and worked since 2015. Before the visit, I had committed to sending yearly gifts and cash donations to different orphanages on my birthdays. This started five years ago.
The visit to Heritage of Faith and Hope Children’s Home was part of ISACA Global Community Day Programme outreach.
The programme divided members into two groups. One group to visit the School for the Blind and the other to visit the Children’s orphanage.
I chose the Heritage of Faith and Hope Children’s home because I wanted to encounter something different. There were 177 children, and I wanted to engage with as many as possible.
In the time spent at the orphanage, I learnt the lessons of a lifetime.
The children in orphanages found themselves there. They did not plan it. It could have been anyone.
Since we do not have control over things that happen in our lives, we try to make meaning out of them.
This was the first lesson I learnt when I interacted with the kids in the orphanage.
Here is my full story.
Made for mission
“The best use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it,”- William James.
It takes a heart of gold to live for others.
The story of Heritage of Faith and Hope Children’s Home is about human resilience. It is about people on a mission. People who never gave up.
In 1996, Joseph and his wife Teresia lost their jobs. Their companies went bankrupt and could not pay them terminal benefits. They became redundant.
It was not their plan to start an orphanage. They had five biological children to look after, an unpaid mortgage and 4,000 Kenyan Shillings left in liquid cash. It was survival first.
They invested the money into selling meat. Teresia would visit the slaughterhouse to buy meat and hawk it in the neighborhood.
This kind of business brought some challenges. She faced hostile clients as well as those who supported the business. Her inspiration came from those who showed support.
In no time, business picked up, and she started receiving orders to supply meat. She was meeting all necessities at home, paid school fees and serviced the outstanding mortgage.
Life changed for good. Teresia and her husband promised that if the venture succeeded, “we shall touch and transform the life of a needy person”.
In August 2002, Heritage of Faith and Hope Children’s Home started with 38 boys and girls. The center took care of these children. Today, it provides basic rehabilitation service, school and vocational training.
It was a leap of faith.
A day at the orphanage
“When you ask for a good reason, people will blow you away with what they contribute,”–Rebecca Morgan.
Humanity is all about giving.
Marcus Aurelius puts it better, “life is short. The fruit of life is a moral character and acts for the common good.”
Joseph and Teresia lived selflessly by helping others. They lived for the common good. Their actions provide value to society. It was not about them. They lived by example.
When they stretched out their hands and asked for support, they got rewarded. Today, the children’s home has grown into a school. It also teaches wealth creation.
The orphanage is on a 3-acre piece of land. New structures now dot the compound. The borehole, greenhouses, dairy and poultry farms are ready, including the newly completed residential complex.
Recently, the Lions International club started building a modern kitchen and dining hall for the children. These came at no cost, but through the goodwill generated by Joseph and Teresia.
The tour round the facilities brought out one important lesson. Anyone can make a difference. It is not those with big names, most money or the most awards. Help comes from those who are available and care the most when it matters.
If you do something good for someone in need, you will raise their spirits along with your own. Those who give learn to be compassionate and to love and care for others.
The success story of the orphanage is about connections. Connecting with the right people, at the right places, and at the right time.
Human generosity knows no bound.
Orphanage as school of life
“Every child deserves a champion, an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be,”–Rita F. Pierson.
Interacting with children at the orphanage goes beyond the cash gifts, clothing and groceries they receive. They deserve more than that. We owe them a life.
My findings showed that children in orphanages are in three categories. Those orphaned at birth, those abandoned and left on the streets. The last group comprises those who ran away from home to escape abuse.
I spoke to all three groups. Their stories were interesting. They did not blame anyone for their predicament, instead were grateful to be alive. They just wanted more out of life.
A common thread was their determination. They had reconnected with society and wanted the best out of it.
The children’s home did a good job of instilling values and virtues in them. At a point, however, they will leave and be independent. Our involvement will help them integrate seamlessly into mainstream society.
A young boy I encountered left an impression on me. He lost his mother. His father remarried, but later died. His stepmother became abusive and stopped paying his school fees. He left home and took himself to the orphanage to seek refuge.
At age 16, he was still in primary school. He did not bother about his age or the lost years. His focus is on the future. He primed himself for success.
He knew the stories of Col Sanders, the founder of KFC, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffett and Elon Musk. He developed the Orange Box mindset and is thinking like an entrepreneur.
There are many like this young man in every orphanage you visit. They look for opportunities to grow and showcase their talents. We must be there to encourage them.
Our achievements are not the legacies we leave behind, it is the impact we made on other people. Who did you assist? How many people did you encourage? What was the overall impact?
According to Martin Luther King Jr, “lives persist, and most urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others?’”
Lessons to take away
“No one ever became poor by giving,”–Anne Frank.
People grow when they are loved. If you want to help someone heal, show them unconditional love.
Your greatest contribution to the world may not be something you did, but someone you raised. Be a helping hand.
The Heritage of Faith and Hope Children’s Home trained young men and women who are now giving back. Most graduated from college and settled into life but return to mentor others.
Charlie Chaplin, the famous comedian, opines that the world needs more humanity, kindness and gentleness. He states, “we all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other’s happiness, not by each other’s misery.”
Giving is in different forms. It can be through making time to help someone or aiding and providing with no expectations.
The kids were eager to know how some of us got through life. This presented an opportunity to give them pep talks. Make them believe in themselves and their abilities. Assure them that life will come through for them.
My parting words were from Christopher Robin, “you are better than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
If we can all contribute to charity, the world would be a beautiful place to live.
“Don’t just think, do,” says Horace.
