Holly House

Welcome to Holly House and Holly's Heart! These homes provide a place to live for approximately 50 children who otherwise would be completely alone in the world. Most of these children are orphans, often from the AIDS epidemic in Kenya, and a few have sadly been abandoned by their destitute families.

Why is there a Holly House? In the summer of 2003, Fanuel Okwaro, Galilee Primary School's Director, learned that one of the girls attending Galilee had recently been left homeless, with no options of a guardian or shelter. Acting quickly, he rented two rooms that would provide shelter to this student and a few others in equally desperate circumstances. Later he was able to rent a larger house in order to house more orphans. Through his determination to provide a safe harbor for these children, and the generosity of concerned sponsors, these students were able to continue in school and be assured of a roof over their heads. The students live there under the care of their loving housemother, Annah. In some cases, siblings have been able to live together because of the provision of Holly House. The house is near the school, so the children are able to attend classes, play together after school, and enjoy a sense of "family".

Holly House and Holly's Heart were named after a sponsor who has been especially instrumental in providing beds, chairs, utensils, and other basics supplies needed in the establishment of the homes. While the basics at Holly House are provided, including meals and bunk beds, conditions are extremely crowded and stark. Walls are bare, food is simple. Toilet facilities are primitive holes. One sponsor sent money for a shower to be installed. Usually there are four children to a tiny room. There is an uncovered hallway at Holly House, so to go from one bedroom to another or to the dining room results in a walk in the rain. There are not enough tables or chairs for the children. There is no community room for the children to gather, just the small bedrooms and two small dining rooms along a corridor. It is a shelter in a basic sense.

Bursting at the seams and with a waiting list of children, Holly House simply could not accomodate the children in such dire need of a home. At just the moment when Fanuel and the Friends of Galilee were all saying, "What are we going to do?" a building became available for lease on adjacent property to Galilee, allowing us to open Holly's Heart in February 2006. It is wonderful that the children will have a roof over their heads, but we need funds to provide the simple things such as pots and pans, mattresses, mosquito nets, and so forth for the new children moving into Holly's Heart. Each new child needs a mattress, pillow, sheets and pillowcase, blanket, utensils and dishes, a towel, and a bed. It costs approximately $55 (plus another $30 for the bed) to set up a child at Holly House or Holly's Heart.

How can you help? We sometimes have children in need of sponsorship--please visit our Sponsor a Child page. We have ongoing needs for all the children, such as new mosquito nets on a periodic basis. In addition, funding is needed to build a larger more adequate structure. If you would like more information about assisting in the building or furnishing of a home for the orphans, please email the director@galileeschool.org