I have moved to Kenya with my husband and two of my children age 3 and 9 years, the twins age 22 remained in the Netherlands. After years of struggling in a distance with the orphanage according staff issues, problems with children but also with the volunteers assisting in the home we have decided to stay in Kenya and re-organize the home! It was a very difficult time to be so far from the home and to deal with problems in a distance. It was not easy to take the final step and to decide to move to Kenya. But when we got the news that some people were going to organize to get funds to built a home we were ready to go and looked forward to built an orphanage for about 50 children. We are now two months in Kenya and things are getting better. it is a big task to settle down and reorganize our orphanage and business and to leave behind my family, friends and my brothers and sisters of the Church the Ark in Amersfoort the Netherlands, but with the strength of God we know we can do it.

About the home: at this moment the following children are living there: Faith (2) Beatrice ( 3) Moses ( 3 ) Gregory ( 4) Sylvester ( 4) Dixon ( 6) Dennis ( 9) Jamal ( 5) Kipu ( 8) Moris ( 8) Selina ( 11) Maxwell ( 11) Salome ( 13) Johnson ( 16) ( staff kids living with us Diana (6) en Esther ( 9) other children living with us in our home are James and Charles both 18 years previous street children and under our care for 5 years.

There are five children with the HIV virus, Moses, Gregory, Dixon, Kipu and Jamal. Their condition is quite ok. They all follow a aids program in the hospital and go for monthly check up to the hospital. They all get medicines. We don't tell these children that they are sick. To protect the other children and ourselves we use gloves when the affected kids have open wounds. The children are not sick, they play like the others, go to school and you cant even know who are the affected kids.   

All the children are going to school except Faith, Moses and Beatrice. James is going to college soon to do a tour guiding course for about a year and Charles is very busy with becoming a known singer/rapper. Both boys lived in the orphanage before, James left temporary due to some problems he created in the home but returned to Mombasa in February. Charles did not feel comfortable in the home as he was to old to share the room with the younger boys. We decided to take him home with us where he is feeling much better. Charles biggest dream is to become a singer and we believe he can do it. He made a cd and was on the radio several times. He soon will make a video clip and we want to promote him as much as we can. We are looking for sponsors for both boys for the promotion of the music of Charles and for the school fees of James.

The staff as it is per today: We have Mama Jane, she has been working with us for some years till last year April 2005 and returned September 2006. She is responsible for the cleaning, washing, general assisting with the children. Being the Mama for the small kids. Rama is the cook and prepares lunch and dinner for the children and volunteers since July 2006. He is assisting with general cleaning and washing. Mugaga who first worked as the guard at the compound for the landlord and brought the children to school and back home requested to be employed full time with us and is enjoying us since half March 2007. You can notice the big changements in the home according the atmosphere, the house is much cleaner and the staff comes along very well together. They are reliable and respecting us.

The children's images will be updated soon with new photo's and news.

Visitors: we are very happy and blessed with our visitors. We do get regularly visitors from England, mostly sent or informed by Madame Edna Elliott and his husband Brian. They are visitors for years to our orphanage and everybody knows them. Now she is helping us a lot by promoting our orphanage and we are so grate full for that. Visitors are bringing food and other needed groceries, but also very nice clothes and useful items from England. We have made a shopping list to assist our visitors with advice for the needed items and food. Thank you all very much for your visit to us. You have helped us a lot to keep the home in good condition and the children very much alive! With your help we will improve the life standard of these children and those who will be taking in after we will move to a bigger building.

Our orphanage is located in North Mtwapa on the way to Malindi. Next to Dancourt hotel. If you want to visit our home please call us to organize transfers. We can offer you transport free of charge from the hotels located at the North Coast and Kikambala. You can call us through  care taker Mugaga or Irene mobile 07323333834 or Williams mobile 0728888772.Please inform us latest a few days in advance so that we can plan the schedule for the transport.

Volunteers: we do work with volunteers. They are coming from the Netherlands and also from other countries to participate in our projects. This can be the orphanage, school, hospitals or home care projects. The minimum of period of volunteering is one month max is 6 months. You can read all about it on the site www.safarimission.com which soon we changed into a new name. Or on this website www.lionesscubshome.com for further information. Please sent us an email if you are interested so that we sent you the rules and conditions. To participate one of our projects the most important thing we require from you is that you are coming with a honest and good heart. The name of our volunteering agency is Beyond Ur Roots and says something about the challenges you might face here in Kenya. For Africans if they go back to their roots it is mostly for them nothing new, back to basic most Africans live in a basic way. For the European people back to basic can be tough, and if you are not used to it you cant even call it back to your roots you have to go beyond... make sense right?

We hope you can visit us when you are in Kenya. We are a small orphanage but need all the support as well.

Thanks ! Irene and William Okech.