Hostel

Some girls, too young for boarding school, need a safe place to live where they will be free from severe abuse and the threat of marriage. Some older scholarship recipients also need a safe place to stay between school terms. To accommodate such girls, Josphine built a hostel to care full-time for girls grades 3 and under and provide sanctuary to older girls on school breaks. Here, the children live and study, tend a garden, and do chores together. They are part of a healthy, loving family.

These children have faced more trauma than any child should. Addressing their emotional health is important, so we create opportunities for the children to laugh and have fun, to bond as a “family”, and to experience unconditional love. A few of the excursions we arranged for our younger children in 2025 were:

  • A Kids Fun Day, with slides, bouncy castle, swimming, bubble balls, games and entertainment.

  • The Maralal International Camel Derby where the children could cheer the camel racers and enjoy a lively celebration of Samburu culture with traditional dances and costumes.

  • Outings for ice cream or fries to cheer the children up after discouraging events.

  • A weekend camping trip at a wild animal sanctuary with zebras, giraffes, impalas, wildebeest, hippos, and so many other animals roaming around the tents! They enjoyed dancing, storytelling around a campfire, delicious food, and even a boat safari.

  • A Thanksgiving feast for the children who live at the hostel, the sponsored students in primary and junior secondary (many had already returned to interior villages so couldn’t attend), and the Ramat team who help with clubs and village visits. Thirty people were part of the “family” this past Thanksgiving.

  • A Christmas celebration with new, white dresses for all the girls, a scrumptious breakfast feast, and an excursion to Joy World amusement park.

It is heart-warming to see abused girls grow calm and confident, young rape victims play with joy and enthusiasm, malnourished girls become healthy and unafraid. In a safe environment, they are also excelling in school. EN, for example (introduced above), is consistently the top student in her class! We are proud of our girls for overcoming so much and for now being such a source of joy for us and others.