Footprints Orphanage in Kenya
Care by Design is delighted to be associated with and adopt as its Charity of the Year Footprints Orphanage, Kenya.
Footprints Orphanage is the vision of an exceptional woman – Kerry Watson. Kerry comes from Burton on Trent, Staffordshire. An employee of Thomson Holidays a couple of years ago Kerry went out to Kenya to volunteer and help at a school in the Shimba Hills (a couple of hours outside Mombasa). While there Kerry witnessed the plight of so many children living on the streets, desperate for food and shelter and deprived of the very basics of life.
Kerry had been an orphan herself as a child and the plight of these children touched her heart. Unlike the vast majority of us, when we see such need, Kerry came back to England and decided to do what she could for at least a few of these children. 
Kerry began the task of raising the funds to buy some land in the Shimba Hills. She did this by standing at Car Boot Sales on her days off work. Once Kerry had enough money raised she flew back out to Kenya a bought an acre of ground. Once back in the UK fund raising continued throughout 2009. Soon Kerry had enough to start making her vision a reality – building Footprints Orphanage.
Footprints has got its name from the fact that the ground in this interior area of Kenya is very sandy and there is a footpath near where Kerry was building her orphanage. The footpath led from one group of villages to others and also led to the basic school some 4km away. All you could see in the sand were footprints – hence Footprints was born!
By the end of 2010 the core buildings were completed. Footprints was registered as a charity here in the UK and then also in Kenya.
Working closely with the Kenyan Children’s Department Footprints opened its doors and welcomed its first children in April 2010. Today Footprints is home to 15 wonderful children aged 1 to 15 years old. All the children have heart breaking tragic stories – for example ‘baby George’ lost his mother and father in separate tragic ways within days of each other. At the time George was 15 weeks old and starving weighed less than 3Kg. Now George, like all the children, is thriving, secure and loved.
Kerry has now resigned from her job at Thomson Holidays and has dedicated her time and energies to the children of Footprints.
Care by Design invites you to visit Footprints own website by clicking on the ‘Footprints link’ below. We commend Footprints and the work of Kerry and her UK based support committee. This is the story of some wonderful children and an exceptional lady. Please consider lending Footprints your help and support.
Footprints website: www.footprintsorphanage.com
Donations can be made on line at: justgiving.com/footprintsorphanage/donate