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Please help me help 32 beautiful, vulnerable kids without parents on the other side of the world...
A little over 20 months ago, I joined 12 credit union leaders on a field engagement trip to Kenya, Africa.
Three of the six days of that trip were spent at the Busia Compassionate Children’s Care Home (orphanage) which was started and underwritten by credit unions from multiple countries nearly 15 years ago through the World Council of Credit Unions.
The Busia orphanage currently cares for 63 children, many who have lost their parents due to HIV, some of whom have HIV themselves, and others were abandoned or abused prior to finding refuge here. The orphanage sits on approximately 3 acres of land just about 40 miles from the Kenya/Uganda border.
Over those three days last year, our team worked on maintenance projects at the orphanage, helped to put a new cover over an old well to keep the kids safe, patched and repainted the interior of bathrooms, built storage shelves in some of the sleeping quarters, planted various fruit and vegetable bearing plants, and played with the kids.
As the parent of an adopted child, I have personally experienced that love and the desire to protect, raise, and be responsible for a child transcends biology. Before I left for my previous trip in 2018, there were many family jokes (many from me) about whether I’d be able to help at the orphanage without wanting to bring some of the kids home with me. But I went in with open eyes and already knowing that any such inclinations were fruitless due to Kenyan adoption laws. Those laws prevent non-Kenyans from adopting unless the establish residency and employment in Kenya for 7 years prior to starting the adoption. And then you must live in country for the 6-month long adoption process. This essentially prevents any international adoptions from Kenya.
For all of these reasons, I left Texas for the previous trip with some built in “protections” and priorities if my Dad instincts kicked in at the orphanage. What I didn’t anticipate was meeting Brian and Moses.
Brian is 12-years old and has lived at the orphanage since he was very young. He is kind, gentle, responsible, and has a big smile. When the kids were saying goodbye to us on our last day, the children sang us songs and they danced along. Brian and another boy (Frederick) were the stand out dancers of all the children. Somehow, though every circumstance was different, being around Brian was like being with my son Dillon. There was an inexplicable connection. And increasingly I wanted to protect him, provide for him, take him home and give him all the comforts, love, and security that all my kids have.
And there was Moses...Moses was 1-year old (he's probably close to 3 by now), a little opinionated with a chubby cherub smile that melts hearts. He followed the “big kids” everywhere and was constantly soaking in the world around him with these big, round brown eyes. He’s SUPER ticklish. And amazingly, sweetly, Brian has essentially become Moses’ older “brother”, protector, provider, personal hip-taxi when Moses is tired, and he was frequently washing off Moses’ corn on the cob or one of the suckers we had brought for the kids because Moses refused to put it down but dropped it repeatedly in the dirt. Brian brought Moses to every meal and sat with him at his side to help him, putting food in Moses mouth when he was too distracted by the other kids (or our whole group of adults sitting with them).
As our project team neared the end of our time there, my sorrow and heartbreak grew. I’ve described my final hour there to a family member as silently, painfully, panically melting.
I sat with Brian one final time before leaving and asked him about school, his friends, his life. I gave him a pair of children’s sunglasses because he hadn’t gotten a pair when we handed some out a few days earlier. I told him I would send money for shoes for him and the other older kids who needed them and I asked him if he can read English if I emailed him through Momna Stella from time to time. He said yes. And Stella promised to read them to him.
Over the past 20 months, I have sent money to help Brian and Moses. And me and a group from our project team sent money when we got back to the U.S. to buy over 30 of the kids new shoes for school.
Additionally, I have sent $175 U.S. for Brian and the same for Moses so that they could both have new clothes, other shoes, school supplies, and personal care items for the entire year. That is about the cost annually to provide these items for one of the children at the orphanage...essentially a little over $14 a month.
Additionally, I discovered that Brian has a younger biological brother (Stephen) who also lives at the orphanage. So I sent the same amount for him also.
In addition, the organization that I work for (Cy-Fair Federal Credit Union) generously contributed funds (along with other generous donors) towards the construction of a new security wall around the orphanage this last year to help keep the kids safe from various predators (both human and animal).
So, why this Go Fund Me account now?
In seven days (11/30), I am getting on a plane and going back to Kenya with another small group of people to do more maintenance projects at the Busia Compassionate Care Children's Home. In addition to the dollars my place of business is contributing towards those maintenance projects, I have established a goal to provide the same $175 contribution (for a year's worth of clothes, shoes, school supplies, and personal care items for a child) for at least half of the kids there (32). I would LOVE to do it for all of them, and ultimately that will be my next goal. But providing for half of all the kids there would be so wonderful and a tremendous gift to arrive with next week.
To achieve that would take $5,600. I have personally committed $2,250 towards this goal. That leaves $3,350.
I have just one week before I leave for Kenya. Will you help me reach this goal?
If just 20 people or organizations donate $175, we can easily achieve this goal and make a BIG impact on 32 little lives. If you can't do that much, any smaller amount will also help.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and for your consideration of helping me help these kids.
With humility and appreciation,
-Cameron
#PeopleHelping People
#KidsWithoutParents
#MakingADifference
A little over 20 months ago, I joined 12 credit union leaders on a field engagement trip to Kenya, Africa.
Three of the six days of that trip were spent at the Busia Compassionate Children’s Care Home (orphanage) which was started and underwritten by credit unions from multiple countries nearly 15 years ago through the World Council of Credit Unions.
The Busia orphanage currently cares for 63 children, many who have lost their parents due to HIV, some of whom have HIV themselves, and others were abandoned or abused prior to finding refuge here. The orphanage sits on approximately 3 acres of land just about 40 miles from the Kenya/Uganda border.
Over those three days last year, our team worked on maintenance projects at the orphanage, helped to put a new cover over an old well to keep the kids safe, patched and repainted the interior of bathrooms, built storage shelves in some of the sleeping quarters, planted various fruit and vegetable bearing plants, and played with the kids.
As the parent of an adopted child, I have personally experienced that love and the desire to protect, raise, and be responsible for a child transcends biology. Before I left for my previous trip in 2018, there were many family jokes (many from me) about whether I’d be able to help at the orphanage without wanting to bring some of the kids home with me. But I went in with open eyes and already knowing that any such inclinations were fruitless due to Kenyan adoption laws. Those laws prevent non-Kenyans from adopting unless the establish residency and employment in Kenya for 7 years prior to starting the adoption. And then you must live in country for the 6-month long adoption process. This essentially prevents any international adoptions from Kenya.
For all of these reasons, I left Texas for the previous trip with some built in “protections” and priorities if my Dad instincts kicked in at the orphanage. What I didn’t anticipate was meeting Brian and Moses.
Brian is 12-years old and has lived at the orphanage since he was very young. He is kind, gentle, responsible, and has a big smile. When the kids were saying goodbye to us on our last day, the children sang us songs and they danced along. Brian and another boy (Frederick) were the stand out dancers of all the children. Somehow, though every circumstance was different, being around Brian was like being with my son Dillon. There was an inexplicable connection. And increasingly I wanted to protect him, provide for him, take him home and give him all the comforts, love, and security that all my kids have.
And there was Moses...Moses was 1-year old (he's probably close to 3 by now), a little opinionated with a chubby cherub smile that melts hearts. He followed the “big kids” everywhere and was constantly soaking in the world around him with these big, round brown eyes. He’s SUPER ticklish. And amazingly, sweetly, Brian has essentially become Moses’ older “brother”, protector, provider, personal hip-taxi when Moses is tired, and he was frequently washing off Moses’ corn on the cob or one of the suckers we had brought for the kids because Moses refused to put it down but dropped it repeatedly in the dirt. Brian brought Moses to every meal and sat with him at his side to help him, putting food in Moses mouth when he was too distracted by the other kids (or our whole group of adults sitting with them).
As our project team neared the end of our time there, my sorrow and heartbreak grew. I’ve described my final hour there to a family member as silently, painfully, panically melting.
I sat with Brian one final time before leaving and asked him about school, his friends, his life. I gave him a pair of children’s sunglasses because he hadn’t gotten a pair when we handed some out a few days earlier. I told him I would send money for shoes for him and the other older kids who needed them and I asked him if he can read English if I emailed him through Momna Stella from time to time. He said yes. And Stella promised to read them to him.
Over the past 20 months, I have sent money to help Brian and Moses. And me and a group from our project team sent money when we got back to the U.S. to buy over 30 of the kids new shoes for school.
Additionally, I have sent $175 U.S. for Brian and the same for Moses so that they could both have new clothes, other shoes, school supplies, and personal care items for the entire year. That is about the cost annually to provide these items for one of the children at the orphanage...essentially a little over $14 a month.
Additionally, I discovered that Brian has a younger biological brother (Stephen) who also lives at the orphanage. So I sent the same amount for him also.
In addition, the organization that I work for (Cy-Fair Federal Credit Union) generously contributed funds (along with other generous donors) towards the construction of a new security wall around the orphanage this last year to help keep the kids safe from various predators (both human and animal).
So, why this Go Fund Me account now?
In seven days (11/30), I am getting on a plane and going back to Kenya with another small group of people to do more maintenance projects at the Busia Compassionate Care Children's Home. In addition to the dollars my place of business is contributing towards those maintenance projects, I have established a goal to provide the same $175 contribution (for a year's worth of clothes, shoes, school supplies, and personal care items for a child) for at least half of the kids there (32). I would LOVE to do it for all of them, and ultimately that will be my next goal. But providing for half of all the kids there would be so wonderful and a tremendous gift to arrive with next week.
To achieve that would take $5,600. I have personally committed $2,250 towards this goal. That leaves $3,350.
I have just one week before I leave for Kenya. Will you help me reach this goal?
If just 20 people or organizations donate $175, we can easily achieve this goal and make a BIG impact on 32 little lives. If you can't do that much, any smaller amount will also help.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and for your consideration of helping me help these kids.
With humility and appreciation,
-Cameron
#PeopleHelping People
#KidsWithoutParents
#MakingADifference