Me (L) Sandra(R)Rebuild is the San Diego Chapter of Architecture for Humanity, a non-profit organization promoting architectural and design solutions to global, social and humanitarian crisis.
In partnership with International Humanity Foundation, a non-profit organization who’s mission is to educate the poor and to educate the world about the poor. Rebuild is working towards rehabilitation an existing orphanage facility located in Nakuru, Kenya.
Sandra (L) Janet (R)
Arrival to Nakuru
Sandra, Janet and I arrived to the bus station to take a mini bus called “Matatu”. The Matatu is a mode of public transportation that takes people from Nairobi to Nakuro for only 350 Kenyan Shillings that at the time was equivalent to $5. It was a nice ride full of beautiful sceneries and tasteful Kenyan snacks. It took us about 2 to 3 hours to get to the IHF orphanage center. We were so exited to finally meet the children. At our arrival we were welcomed by all the children, although they were eating they got up to greet us with big hugs and kisses. We also met the co-directors Alex and Janet who gave us a tour of the center.
IHF Center
The center has five buildings that sit on approximately 15 Acres of land. Building number one is Carol’s house but is currently not used for its deteriorating conditions. We stayed in building number two which is the girl’s dorm. Staying close to the children allowed me to have a deeper understanding of their culture and be part of their daily routine. I got to see how much love they have for each other and how grateful they are for everything they have. Building number three is the boy’s dormitory. Building number four is used as classrooms. Only a small portion of building number five is used for the kitchen because there is a crack through the building. All buildings need a lot of tender, love and care.
The Children
There are approximately about one hundred children at the center. Although it sounds like a lot each one of them gets the opportunity to express themselves. The children get together once a week to have a family meeting lead by the co-directors and the older children. It was nice seeing everyone together at the center and working things out as a team. 
The children would wake up every morning with so much energy and eager to go to school. They get up around 5:30 am to be ready for school at 7:00 am. At soon as they are up you can hear them speaking in their native language, running in and out looking for a matching shoe and encouraging each other to get ready for school. The older children go to Muslim primary school and the little ones would go to the centers pre-school. I really enjoyed observing the children it felt as if they injected energy in me and they didn’t even know it.
Working day
We would meet with the coordinators every morning and evening to discuss our agenda for the day. They would give us guidance and support in anything we needed. We started taking dimensions of building number one. It was very important for us to use our time efficiently since we were only staying there for a short time. We would dedicate some hours to getting building dimensions and some time to get more information about the property.
Our greatest accomplishment!...
