The Foundation | Taita alapítvány

About the Foundation

Our foundation has been supporting the Saint Joseph’s Orphanage in Bura, Kenya, since 2006. We coordinate the children’s education as well as guide them along the road of becoming an adult. As a local saying has it,

„If many little people at many little places do many bits of good, the world will change.”

– We also believe in this because during the time we spent in Kenya, we realized that although we can’t change the whole world, we can help the people with whom we live for a period of time.

During the time spent in Bura, we became familiar with the locals’ daily routine. We shared their happiness and sadness, their success and failure. We discovered how lucky we were: we were born into a family, lived an affluent life, and we have the privilege of endless opportunities. It was there in Bura that we recognized: with all these benefits we can help others. We decided that we will try to bring permanent change to the lives of the Saint Joseph Orphanage residents from here in Hungary.

The children are in need of our friendship, not our pity. We don’t want to bend down to them but rather to stand next to them as a friend who helps them if they’re in need, or who will be helped out by them, if needed.

And that is what we did: With our support, we secured a chance of happiness for over 40 kids in the orphanage. Our goal is alleviating the hunger, daily obstacles, and the pain caused by growing up without parents. Furthermore, we want to create the opportunity for education, a healthier lifestyle, more diversity in meals and entertainment. With the years passing by, these seem to have become reality since with our help, a kindergarten and primary school opened their doors; places that the children in the village (most living in utter poverty) may attend too, that provide them with education and three meals a day.

Why Taita?

The word Taita is the name of the province where the supported orphanage is located. Similar to the Hungarian counties or districts, if you mention anywhere in Kenya that you are coming from Taita, they will know where it is. In addition, they explained to us that locally, the word Taita has another special meaning: “father”. We liked this word, the meaning, the sound, and that perhaps it wouldn’t be too unfamiliar to foreign people, either; yet it is very Kenyan. That’s how the name of the foundation became “Taita”.

Our activity in Hungary

In our own country, the Taita Foundation helps promote establishing contacts among cultures by cultivating awareness. We are present at numerous events, giving lectures, organizing discussions, in order to provide the broadest possible insight into our activities for all who are interested, thus bringing Africa closer to people. Based on our personal experiences and the knowledge we garnered over the course of many years, we would like to draw attention to global hardships, the importance of mutual assistance, and to the possibility and merit of taking responsibility for people living further away from us – after all, it will be not only their profit but ours, as well, due to the exemplary value of their customs and societal cohesion.

Involving +volunteers who work with us to help the residents of the Kenyan orphanage, we draw attention in our own country to the significance of a responsible way of thinking, cooperation, and acceptance. Besides continuing to support the Kenyan orphanage, kindergarten, and school, we are endeavouring to get into as many schools and other venues as possible with our innovative, interactive consciousness-raising programs (which we call AFRICA-DAY), as well as taking part in organizing programs relating to Africa, together with other organizations engaging in similar activities

Our Board Of Trustees

Dr. Emese Borbély

(president)

I graduated in Bécs as an economist; my favourite subject was social policy.
I teach at the University of Óbuda, and I’m raising three children with my husband.

For over 10 years, I’ve been a volunteer working with Hungarian state-cared children. I’ve always been interested in the faith of the children growing up without parents.

During my college years, I met with African nuns, who told me about their work at home. Then a feeling came to me, an idea that I myself should go there too and help those orphans. That was my first step. The Taita Foundation was the second....

Andrea Szegedi

(vice president)

I first became familiar with the work of the Foundation in 2006 and immediately fell in love with the purpose, the approach, and the organization's transparency.

In 2007, I had the chance to become one of the first “taita” volunteers to travel to the orphanage. I was so taken by what I saw there that ever since that time, I’m still trying to help the Foundation’s work; currently as vice president.

Zsófia Szijjártó

(board of truestees member)

I studied to be an economist; I’m raising six children with my husband. We make our money with translating; if our time allows, we do a lot of sports and hiking.

I was honoured to join the foundation at the request of my friend Emese, and I am very proud to be a part of a team that is so positive, youthful and dynamic, spirited, and successful.