There are many reasons for a mother to make the desperate decision to abandon her child. Economic disparity, HIV infections, among other things. It’s a sad reality in Kibera Slum that happens all too often.
Andrew Otieno (Centre) at the Makina Clinic in Kibera, Nairobi
Makina Clinic in the Kibera Ghetto of Nairobi
The Makina Clinic was opened by its founder Andrew Otieno in 1998 to provide medical services in the Kibera ghetto, the largest getto in sub-sahara Africa. In the desperate conditions of the getto, the Makina Clinic would provide whatever support it could to the community, including providing end of life care to many patients suffering from HIV/AIDS.
Andrew was faced with the terrible dilemma of what to do with the children of parents who had passed away. The first effort would be to try and find other family members who could look after these children.
The real problem became what to do with the children who Andrew could not find other family members to look after…
Shack with dirt floor and no plumbing where Andrew Otieno sheltered the orphaned and abandoned children he came across through the Makina Clinic services.
Where it all started…
In 2009 Margaret Coleman, and her daughter Tova were visiting Andrew Otieno at the Makina Clinic and came across a dirt floored shack with orphaned and vulnerable children that Andrew had found shelter for adjacent to the clinic.
Margaret and her daughter sprang into action and found a house to rent in the Kibera getto to provide a home for the children and found a house mother to look after them.
Margaret returned to her home in Calgary, Canada and began fundraising to pay rent on the home, buy food and pay school fees for the children to begin to attend school.
The Macodep Children’s Home in Kibera was born…..
….. and we started to see the beginning of the Butterfly Effect!
The early years of the Macodep Children’s home were tough
Early fundraising was difficult and the getto landlords were unwelcoming and did not want an orphanage as tenants. The Macodep Children’s home was evicted several times, but Margaret Colemen, and the small group of sponsors she had put together, persevered and eventually a stable home with a live in house mother was found and the children we all enrolled in local schools.
As the Children’s Home stabilized, Andrew worked with local authorities to identify other vulnerable and and abandoned children in the getto community in need of a safe and secure home. Eventually the home grew to over 40 children.
… and slowly, over time, the look in the children’s eyes changed from concern and fear for their safety and security to happiness and love for their new found family.
Original Got Osimbo Site Plan
Initial plan to build 8 Townhouses providing homes for 10 children each. Eventually also build a Kindergarten, Primary School, Guest House and Medical Clinic
Eventually, the Got Osimbo Dream was born
As the children grew and began to thrive, the focus of the Macodep sponsor group, which had now grown to include other international sponsor groups from Europe and North America, shifted from funding a safe and secure home in the getto of Nairobi to thinking about what was in the long term best interest of the Children.
It was recognized by all that getting the Children away from the dangerous and challenging enviroment of the getto was the ultimate goal for the Children.
In 2017, through the funding of the Gardiner family from the US, Macodep acquired a parcel of upcountry land in Siaya County, the tribal homeland of many of the Children and the Got Osimbo project was born!
Turning Dreams into Reality!
After 5 years of site design, planning approvals, fundraising and construction during COVID, in July, 2022 the Children moved into the inital phase of 8 townhouse units at Got Osimbo!
Currently there are 40 children living at Got Osimbo. As additional child sponsors are identified, Macodep plans on bringing the number of orphaned or abandoned children living at Got Osimbo up to its 80 child capacity.
The Butterfly Effect in action!
Next big step already underway!!
Construction of the Got Osimbo Kindergarten has commenced!