Kenya Orphanages | Ben & Mary Bahati

About the Mission

In 1995 Ben and Mary Bahati began taking orphaned children off the streets of Kenya into their home to show Christ’s love to them and give them a chance at a better life. In 2000 the Lord provided an opportunity for them to care for more children than their small home could accommodate by giving them an orphanage in Eldoret, Kenya. Shortly thereafter, another orphanage became available in Kakamega, Kenya, and Ben and Mary accepted the challenge of overseeing yet another orphanage by staffing it with family members and members of their church. Today the two orphanages are home to more than 100 children who are growing in the Lord and thriving due to the Lord’s intervention in their lives. Since 2005 individuals at CEPC have supported children at three orphanages associated with Ben and Mary. These orphanages are:

Kakamega
This orphanage that Ben and Mary accepted in 2000 is home to 56 boys of which 15 are sponsored by current or former CEPC members. Initially, with only barracks-style living quarters, no cooking facilities, running water, indoor eating room, bathrooms or electricity, generous involvement by our members has provided Kakamega with all of these. All the boys now attend school, including trade schools and universities. The first supported orphan boy will graduate from a Kenyan university in June, 2012.

Jua Kali
Jua Kali was started by Ben and Mary in a small rented house for 24 girls in Eldoret, Kenya. Because of a very small budget, the girls slept two to a bed with a plywood “mattress”, and each morning had to look for firewood to cook their meals. Then in 2007, through a generous gift from a CEPC member, the orphanage was able to relocate to a seven acre tract of land in nearby Jua, Kali, Kenya. The new structures include two large dormitory buildings which house 85 boys and girls complete with all sanitary facilities, as well as a large kitchen and dining hall.

Tumaini
In 2006, the Session of CEPC set aside the funds to build the Tumaini Orphanage in Soy, Kenya, north of Eldoret. As of 2011, this purpose built facility consists of five cottages each with three bedrooms and bathrooms for 12 children and a set of house parents. The complex has complete kitchen facilities, a dining hall, a 7-acre farm, a vegetable garden, chicken coop, pasture, and recreation facilities for the children. The well staffed primary school for the resident orphans and tuition-paying children from the surrounding area. In the first year of operation, Tumaini school has won an award from the Kenyan Education Ministry as a top primary school in the Eldoret area.

Vision

To bring Christ into the lives of the poorest of the poor children in the world and show them each the love of Christ through direct involvement in their lives. We seek to provide the next generation of Christian leaders for Kenya.

2012 Goals & Prayer Requests

1. To assure that all the children have an understanding of Christ and they are equipped to know Christ as their Lord and Savior. Continue to draw a greater number of tuition-paying students from the area to our school.
2. Develop projects which would enable all the orphanages to contribute to their own sustainability.
3. Praise the Lord for the completion of additional cottages and the strong support of CEPC as sponsors of the children.
4. Praise for the generous support that will allow additional transportation.
5. Pray for the Lord’s continued provision for each of the 56 children and the house parents.
6. Praise for the two new sets of house parents.