The New Model

Anaweza Foundation’s New Model involves sponsoring orphaned and vulnerable children who stay at home with a guardian parent.

Anaweza Foundation’s sponsorship of Muisuni Children Home began in December 2017 and ended on June 30, 2020. Dr. Alfred Muli and family visited the home many times. Dr. Muli was happy that Anaweza was able to accomplish its goal for many children, namely, to create a brighter future for the orphaned and vulnerable children in Kenya by providing quality education. Over this time, thirty-four children from the orphanage graduated from high school and trade school. Some joined college with the help of other sponsorships. Others got employed. Some who graduated from trade school are now self-employed. Thanks to Anaweza’s sponsorship the lives of these children have been impacted forever.

While it is true that Anaweza accomplished its mission, one thing bothered Dr. Muli and his family—the issue of institutionalization. Yes, we attempted to organize Muisuni children home to model a family structure, with the manager and his wife being the mother and father and the male workers as uncles and females as aunties. Nevertheless, this was not a reality. We observed that during the Christmas holidays, when the children were given permission to spend the holiday with their families, almost all children left campus and stayed away for over two weeks. Dr. Muli remembers seeing an unhappy group of children among the first to live in this home in 1976. As a young boy, Dr. Muli was a close neighbor and he played with the children and made many friends. He remembers many of these children telling him how they preferred to be back home with their single mothers or guardian parent. They missed their families and longed to be with them. Some attempted to escape only to be forced to return. 

The new model of Anaweza seeks to eliminate this problem of institutionalization and by so doing realizes many benefits. First, the child will be brought up in a natural family of his or her guardian parent. These parents are better positioned to instill appropriate discipline and model proper character to a child. We believe this is essential for the child to succeed in school and hence to achieve Anaweza’s goal of creating a brighter future through quality education. Second, the child will grow up in the context of their own community. In Africa, a child’s connection with his or her nucleus family, extended family, and community is foundational for a holistic wellbeing. Third, the new model is cost effective. It eliminates costs such as utility bills, building upkeep, and property maintenance, and redirects these funds to the child’s educational needs. Fourth, the new model solves the negative stigma associated with orphanages. Dr. Muli talks about a bad memory that has remained in his mind for a long time. As a young boy, Dr. Muli attended the same church with children from Muisuni children home. They would sit together as a group in an allocated place because often they would present a group song, which was a great thing. But then when they were being invited to sing, they would be referred to as “kikundi kya musyi wa syana ngya” in Kikamba. This translates “a group from the poor children’s home.” I felt sorry for them and most of my friends from the home said the label made them feel embarrassed, but that they could do nothing about it. Yes, they were poor, but they were more than just poor kids. They were individual persons with a God given dignity of having been made by Him in His own image.  They were God’s image bearers who happened to be less blessed materially and needed help from fellow God’s image bearers who happened to be more blessed materially. 

Let’s be clear. We are not saying the orphanage model is altogether bad. Many orphanages around the world have been instrumental in impacting the lives of many vulnerable children. Nevertheless, what we are saying is that the issue of institutionalization remains the singularly most humane challenge orphanage organizations must solve. Anaweza’s new model seeks to solve this problem by sponsoring orphaned and vulnerable children who stay at the home of their guardian parents. In addition to solving the problem of institutionalization, this new model engenders a multiplicity of benefits such as those listed above.     
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