The Rafiki Project is a unique effort joining the resources of numerous charitable organizations and individuals. The project grew out of a
need to care for children left behind by parents taken by the
devastating AIDS epidemic. Conceived in 2004 by John Nganga, the Rafiki
Orphanage opened its doors to these children, providing food, shelter
and education.
In 2005, several Central Ohio organizations came together to raise funds
to establish the Rafiki Farm. The Farm is being built to allow the
children to provide their own food by raising crops and tending
livestock. Ground was broken in May of 2005, and a great deal of
progress has been made...including the purchase of 5 acres, construction
of animal shelters, fencing and initial preparation of the land for
crops.
During the initial phases of the Farm Project, it became clear that one
of the most pressing needs is fresh water. Currently, water for
drinking, cooking and bathing is brought in via donkey from a remote
location. Rotary District #6690 Clubs Capitol Square, Columbus,
Whitehall-Bexley, Westerville, Gahanna, Belpre, Cambridge and Byesville
all joined together to make a push to build a well on the Farm location,
and the effort has paid off.
On November 2nd, a team of 20 from Columbus is traveling to Nairobi to
dedicate the Rafiki Farm, and conduct a ground-breaking for the water
well. Your donations and energy have helped make this possible. In
order to keep everyone up to speed on our progress, we've established
this blog.
In the Blog section of this site, you can read the daily posts of the
Rafiki team as they work on the farm and interact with the children and
Rafiki Orphanage Managers and Trustees. In the Multi-media section, you
can view photos, video and listen to podcasts of interviews with Rafiki
Farm Managers and some of the children. |
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