Remember Flomina

Remember Flomina? I wrote about this place before; it is one of the ministry sites of the HFBC team. Since they left, I have been visiting there and have just committed to taking it on as one of His Cherished Ones's focus ministries. Upon my last visit, I was utterly disturbed by what I saw.

When we arrived, I was struck by the gravity of their situation. A few young boys were filling containers of water and loading them onto a cart to take to the streets to sell. They needed the money to buy food for dinner. They had not yet had a meal that day, and it was after 2pm.
We spent awhile talking with one of the directors about their situation, then played with the children for a few minutes before going to the baby house. At this point, they have no funding, other than some designated monies for their building project and the minimal school fees of about 40 children who attend as day students. Their directors go out daily trying to find sponsors and donors. But there are thousands of others doing the same thing.

The staff who teaches and cares for the children are now volunteers. They were originally "hired," but they have not been able to pay them since February of this year. Because of their love for the children and knowing how valuable their presence is, almost all of them have chosen to stay on and continue their work. This is true dedication and it makes a huge statement as to the focus of this orphanage. His Cherished Ones is giving the workers a Christmas gift of a salary.


There are 82 orphaned children living at Flomina. Most children sleep 3 to a bed (twin bunk beds). They have one major meal per day, sometimes porridge for breakfast. They DO go to school, however, which is a huge opportunity of blessing.



You may remember the baby house from my posts a few months ago. There were 17 babies under the age of 2 living in a 30'x30' foot house. There are now 15. One whose parents are incarcerated went to live with a grandmother. One died.

What always strikes me when I enter that house are the faces of happy babies. Looking around at their situation and living conditions, how can they laugh and smile? What do they have to laugh and smile about? Simply, the love of Jesus. They are loved. Loved by those who take care of them and loved by God...and they obviously know it.
These babies need our help, just like the older kids. Their house smells of urine. The babies are cared for, but they obviously do not wear diapers. That is strictly reserved for the upper class. They had no plastic pants, so wet pants were just a part of the day. How do you keep 15 babies dry, especially when you have to hand wash everything? They take the best care of them they can, but it is just a sad fact: it is a bad situation.

His Cherished Ones will be buying some new beds for the little ones.

So, as you enjoy this blessed Christmas season, I ask you to remember the children and the caretakers of Flomina Orphanage in Nairobi.