I have found the TAITA Foundation while preparing for a trip to Kenya in 2017. During that trip I met the children on a short one-day visit to the orphanage, but they have captured my heart forever. Since then, I joined TAITA and have been contributing to their work in Hungary as a volunteer and have been following the life of the orphanage. In March 2022, I finally had the chance to go back and spend 10 days in Kenya with the children. My partner accompanied me on the trip, who is an architect like myself. We set out to try to solve some technical issues with the building. The aim was to involve the children in all the work, to show them how to use tools, how to fix things.

The first task was to buy the tools, which is not an easy task in Kenya. We couldn't buy a lot of the basic materials, so we had to improvise a lot, we had to be very inventive. The children were very enthusiastic. We repaired furniture: they were sawing, screwing, painting. The most fun was making the ladder, which everyone ended up trying once finished. We installed a garden tap and a toilet tank. The children learnt how to use a drill, a screwdriver and a saw, they learnt what a screw is for - previously they used a 100 mm nail for everything. With the girls we mended and sewed clothes. We made bead jewellery.

Wherever I went, the little ones followed me, if I sat down, they immediately cuddled up to me. I cannot tell you how much love they gave me! Every “soda” syrup, biscuit, meat snack was thanked one by one, every small gesture appreciated. It was an important experience to see how much unnecessary stuff we surround ourselves with at home. Out there, none of that was missing.
They showed the carefully preserved, collected letters they received from supporters, remembering everything about them. We can do a lot for them from our home: a letter is a real treasure for them, in addition to financial support.

I got much more from them than I gave them! I hope to see them again soon