ABOUT MY WORK ONE WORLD NETWORK

My name is George Orimba I am 25 years old. I am the first born in a family of 3 brothers (George, Godfrey and Benedict). I lost my mother at the age of 12 years in 1999.She died of Pneumonia; it was one of the most painful experiences. We lived in the Mathare Slums of Nairobi and my father worked at the Nairobi Hilton. He never wanted to remarry so I took care of my little brothers. In the year 2004, my father also passed away from stomach ulcers. It was another sad year for us.

Unlike most of children orphaned at young age our uncle Dan Amolo who was a Social worker in Mathare came to our rescue. He took my brothers, Benedict and Godfrey to a Boarding School .I could not join this school because of my medical condition. I have sickle-cell condition that I inherited from my mother who has a holder. I could not survive in a Boarding school. I lived with a family friend in Mathare and I joined other children to work in the streets picking plastic and metals to sell to recyclers to at least buy lunch. When I was ready to join secondary School, Dan enrolled me in a nearby Boarding Private School where he could come for me anytime I had an attack.

In the year 2007, my life and that of my brothers changed dramatically. Dr.Peter Bachmann who we only knew in pictures and pens and books he sent us through Dan came to Nairobi. He visited us in our small room house in Zimmerman, Nairobi and we accompanied him to Baba Dogo to visit one of the many projects he supported in Kenya and throughout the world. We became members of the PBF family and our lives have never been the same again. Peter supported me throughout my studies, paid for my medication and communicates with me like a real Godsend father that he is in our lives. Peter and Dan introduced us to a dear friend called Elisabeth. She writes to us and checks on our well being even though we have never met her.

After high school, dear Peter paid for me college to study insurance brokerage and professional Photography. I got another opportunity to meet Peter and other PBF family members in Ethiopia in the year 2015 when we went to open a Village built for the destitute in the Holy City of Lalibela.

When I went back to Kenya after spending time with Peter, I started a Community Children Organization to support other children to realize their dreams. Dear Peter sends us funds to organize football matches in the slums, buy school materials for the children from poor families, provide meals for those who go to school hungry and also distribute sanitary pads for girls from poor families and Special Schools in Mathare. Our Organization One World Network has done and continues to help the very needy in our neighborhood, Mathare thanks to PBF.

PBF has also bought for us a Brick Machine for the local youth in our rural village called Mbuye. We have trained several young persons who produce these Bricks for sale. Our main goal in future is to build a School outside the city where we can take several orphans to give them a chance like the chance PBF gave me and my brothers.

I want to work with PBF in creating hope for the hopeless and uplift the poor. Currently I live with my young brother Benedict who studies in the University and our house in Nairobi is a living community for several people who are also supported by PBF.

My association with PBF has given me strength beyond my imagination. I believe that I am in my second life because my doctor told me that that most people with my medical condition cannot live beyond 13 years in Africa. I am proudly 25 and counting!

Our Main Activities

Sports Club
PBF collects for us used Sports Clothes (Tricots), Balls and shoes that we use to play as organized teams in the local and neighborings. This keeps the youth busy and occupied away from crime and hopelessness.

School Support for orphans
Most children drop out of school for lack of basic things like pencils, books or school uniform. Every month we identify the very needy and we support them.

School Feeding (Uji Project)
Most our brothers and sisters go to school hungry. We provide a simple maize meal drink (porridge) that acts as both lunch and breakfast. This has reduced dropout due to hunger.

Sanitary Pads for Girls in Slums and Rural Schools
Adolescent girls cannot afford the sanitary pads. They stay out of school because of this. Through the support of PBF we buy for them reusable locally produced Pads.

Brick Making and Housing for the Rural Poor
Many young people leave rural villages to look for work and better life in the cities. They end up living in the slums and jobless. We started this Brick making project to create self employment for the youth.

School Fees for Pupils and Students in local schools and Colleges.

Living Community house in Nairobi
We have young people who have no family or relatives in the cities. We live with them when schools are not open. We have even some who have fled neighboring countries like Ethiopia. We host them with recommendation from PBF.

Volunteer Placement and Hosting
We want to share our experiences with other young people who want to help us in our work. We want to learn from them and we believe they can learn some things from us. Volunteers are welcome.

Thank you
George Orimba