St. Bernard Nyang’oma Orphanage
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF ST. BERNARD NYANGOMA ORPHANAGE
The congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Anna Lwak was founded in 1938 to serve the marginalized in the society; the main interest was on the girl child education, those who were left orphans after the Second World War and were neglected. The sisters came to Kenya in 1958 and continued with their apostolates.
They established schools and considered the girl child education and health services. Due to the needs of time, they introduced special school to educate the physically handicapped, hearing impaired, mentally challenged and the virtually impaired. The first Kenyans joined the congregation in 1962; a number of communities were opened. In 1987, the Dutch sisters left for Netherlands, the Kenyan sisters continued to serve in the existing ministries and started new ones like orphans and widow’s programs and for those people living with HIV/AIDS. Such services are rendered to all needy people irrespective of tribe and faith.
St. Bernard Nyangoma children’s home was started in 1966 by the Franciscan Sisters of St. Anna. It is located in Bondo county, Nyangoma division, Nyangoma Mission near lake region.New born babies were being abandoned by their relatives at St. Elizabeth hospital, Lwak after treatment. When the sisters did follow up, they discovered that the abandoned children were orphans. Their mothers were school drop-out girls who died after post- natal complications e.g. severe bleeding or placenta retention. Today HIV/AIDS claims death so much that the number of orphans has increased considerably for the last two decades.
The number of orphans increased in the hospital and their health status was at risk. They could contact infection from the ward. From this experience, sisters decided build an institution for the orphans to be given holistic care, full of life and harmony up to three-four year old after which they are integrated into their families. Majority go home after being in pre-school for two years.
In 1975, a new home for the orphans was built and registered under the ministry of culture and social services. A total of 57 are now living in the home but maximum accommodation is 60. In 2008, the home was registered under the ministry of gender children and social development as charitable children institution under Children’s’ Act No. 8 of 2001 Reg. No.000386. At present, there are 37 children at the home from one month to four years. The number of infant orphans constantly increases due to HIV/AIDS.
Mission of the Home
Provide holistic care to and integration of orphaned child at the age of day one to three years with the involvement of the relatives.
Vision
Holistic and integrated person in ancestral family and community.
