Nyumba Yanga Site Visit: A Short Reflection

Hello all,

It has been an exciting couple of months for Homes of Joy! All three HOJ volunteers (Amanda, Angi and myself) have now returned from our visit to the Nyumba Yanga Orphanage in Lusaka, Zambia. For me, the site visit was an incredible experience! It was wonderful to see how much both the girls and the institution have grown since my initial visit in 2008.

While at Nyumba Yanga, I did a lot of reflecting around the difference between a house and a home. There are thousands of orphanages around the world and the people within them work tirelessly to provide the best life they can for the orphaned children they take in. However, in this way, Nyumba Yanga truly stands out. The Sisters, house mothers, and volunteers go above and beyond to create a true home for the girls. It is so much more than just a roof over heads and food at a table. During our visit I felt very fortunate to join this community and become part of the Nyumba Yanga family. Listening to some of the older girls tell their stories at the 10th Anniversary Celebration was amazing. Many of the girls were overcome with emotion and had to fight through tears to tell everyone how much Nyumba Yanga meant to them and how strongly they recognized the doors that had been opened for their futures as a result of being accepted into the Nyumba Yanga family. It was very obvious to me that everyone that works at Nyumba Yanga makes decisions based on needs and resources, but they do so within a framework of love and support for each and every girl that enters through their gate.

The other thing that was constantly on my mind while visiting Nyumba Yanga was the importance of grassroots development. There has been a lot of publicity lately that criticizes the effectiveness of aid and international development. However, I still strongly believe in the critical importance of small scale development. It was a beautiful experience to walk around Nyumba Yanga and see firsthand the impact our funding has had over the past two years. Talking with Memori about how much better she sleeps with her own mattress, seeing photos all of the girls in their raincoats during the monsoon season, and visiting the girl’s schools were all moments that stood out to me. Providing resources to a small project like Nyumba Yanga has made tremendously effective use of the comparatively small amount of funding that we have been able to provide. Although I had full faith in the way we were distributing our funds, it was very moving to actually see what they had accomplished on the ground. I am incredibly thankful to all of our donors, volunteers, and HOJ board members who have made this possible.

I look forward to our continued growth as an organization and to the increasing impact we will have on the lives of the girls at Nyumba Yanga.

With gratitude,

Micaela
HOJ Founder