That the OHMH girls grow up in a loving environment to a point where they will not merely subsist, but will be the educated network that will tackle the causes of the poverty they have escaped.

OHMH provides 4 types of healing to the girls in our family:

Physical:

Children typically come to OHMH severely malnourished, filthy, and often with cuts, bruises or illnesses from abuse and the harshness of life on the street. While living on the streets with no parental figures, most of our girls have survived some combination of extreme poverty and hunger, homelessness and the threat of human trafficking, moving from place to place just trying to stay alive. With the help of volunteer medical personnel we are able to provide treatment and with the care from our Kenyan staff ‘house mothers’ we are able to provide loving recuperation. Our Kenyan farm staff grow vegetables, raise tilapia and turkeys, and home-produced milk in order to provide our girls with a nutritious and protein rich diet from our small onsite farm.

Emotional:

Many of our girls carry severe emotional scars. Some have been raped or beaten or forced to be married as young as six. Others have seen parents die and have been raising infant siblings when they were children themselves. Most struggle to deal with the stigma of being looked down upon at school as ‘an orphan’. In February 2008 we hired a full-time professional counselor who lives onsite to help our girls heal from emotional trauma. In her own words, Catherine says “My job is to help the children talk about the things it is difficult for them to talk about.”

Spiritual:

Faith in God is a fundamental part of life in Kenya. OHMH is careful to provide our girls with the opportunity to know the love of God for themselves. But, just as in any loving family, faith in God is not required in order to call Mudzini Kwetu “home”. Every school night the girls gather for a voluntary time of song, Bible reading and prayer. These joyful times are led by the older children who encourage the younger girls to participate. For many, church on Sunday is their favorite time of the week as they pile into the van and head into town – often singing at the tops of their lungs with each bump in the road.

Intellectual:

Education is established as a top priority early on at Mudzini Kwetu.  As early as the girls can speak, they can share with you their career aspirations.  ”I want to be a pilot” and “I want to be a doctor”.  Or as Brenda tells us, “I want to become a lawyer.  You see, our government today is not that concerned about children with no parental care so if I become a lawyer I’ll have the opportunity to fight for their rights.”  The majority of the girls’ day is dedicated to their education.  They leave for school at 6am and return at 6pm.  After helping prepare dinner and eating, they return to their homework.  As Anthony says, “If we are going to really execute our goal of getting  the child well-educated to be able to fit into society and be able to impact the community in the future, then we must be able to give them a good education as the key.”

“The girls have adapted so well to their new home and treat each other with respect and dignity.  The big girls help their young sisters and give them the love and care they need.”

–Anthony Mulongo, founder of Mudzini Kwetu