Help Us Support the WatotoWorld Center
We (Stacy Farina and Matt Gibbons) are getting married on August 16, 2014! In lieu of wedding gifts, we are asking our friends and family to give us the gift of a contribution to the WatotoWorld Rescue Center in Kenya.
The center was founded and is managed by Simmie Issenberg, a close friend of the Gibbons family. Six years ago, Simmie traveled to Kenya to help impoverished children, and she quickly developed a deep bond with the 20 orphans that she met at a rural rescue center. This bond was so strong and the needs of the children were so great that Simmie was compelled to help them and other orphans. She returned to Kenya and worked tirelessly to help improve the lives of the children. In 2013, she opened her own orphanage, the WatotoWorld Rescue Center, which now provides a safe and loving home for 17 additional children. At the same time, she continues to work to help the children living at the original rescue center. "Watoto" means "children" in Swahili, and Simmie's work is a loving and powerful response to the impact of extreme poverty on children in Kenya. She has established a network of Kenyan men and women who share her vision of a home for orphaned, mistreated, and abandoned children where they can truly thrive.
We are humbled by Simmie's passion and drive, and we strongly wish to support her continuing efforts in Kenya. Your donations to her charity would truly be a gift to us. We can think of no better way to celebrate our marriage than with a show of support for a cause and a community that we cherish.
Please visit Simmie's website for more information about the WatotoWorld Center and her other efforts in Kenya: http://www.watotoworld.com/
There is a plot of land next to the WatotoWorld Center that is ideal for expansion of the orphanage. Purchasing this land would mean that the WWC would have an acre on which the children could live and play. Simmie estimates the cost of the land to be $12,000, and a contribution towards its purchase would go a long way. Contributions will also go to purchasing food and supplies for the children, according to the current needs of the center.
