AppCentrica supported one of our consultants, Juliana Chung, who recently went to Kenya to volunteer at Sidai Children’s Home, an orphanage in Rironi that houses 21 children ranging in age from 2 to 15.
She recounts her story below.
Prior to my departure for Kenya I was both excited and a little nervous. I didn’t really know what to expect or what I would be asked to do. Once I arrived though I settled into a routine at the orphanage where I did everything from dressing and feeding the children to walking them to school, cleaning, doing laundry and gardening.
With the money raised by AppCentrica, I bought a year’s supply of notebooks, school uniforms and a computer. The uniforms gave the children a sense of pride and belonging. It’s hard to know exactly the impact in the long term, but I felt that while I was there these things did a lot to motivate the kids. I was constantly struck by how little they had and yet how they were able to get along, sing together and learn, despite all the challenges they faced.
In the spirit of providing the children skills and a means to become self-sufficient, the orphanage gets them to make beaded coasters and bracelets to sell in the markets. While I was there, I showed them how to make bracelets that could be made cheaply with string and beads and they loved it! They were excited to learn and sell their new skills.
