26 Jun Celebrating Our Staff In Our Kitalale Home
They say it takes a village to raise a child. This couldn’t be any more accurate. At Kitalale, our staff are the backbone of our home. From driving the children to and from school, making sure uniforms are clean and pristine to staying up through the night so the children can sleep peacefully, these are the people that often go unnoticed.
Today, we would like to celebrate our drivers, security guards, and cleaning team for their hard work and contributions in making our home a safe space for our children. They are more than just our drivers, security guards, and cleaners; they are nurturers, leaders, and role models who share God’s love through their passion and influence.
We asked some of our kids and loving staff questions on how they would describe their uncles and aunties. The answers we received truly speak to how extraordinary these individuals are.
Please join us in learning a little bit more about our Uncles and Aunties who truly make Kitalale a home.
Our Courageous Security Team
Meet Uncle Peter Chemasuet
Uncle Peter is firm, has great attention to detail, and is an excellent timekeeper who is always alert at night, keeping our house and children safe. He tackles each task diligently and neatly. The older children especially enjoy playing Volleyball with him and you can find him sharing his life experiences with them. Uncle Peter is an amazing asset to our Kitalale Home.
His views on joining Children of Hope:
“When I am on guard at night, I have to be very alert and keen since I know the lives of so many staff and children depend on me at that time. I derive a lot of satisfaction from my job since I am so blessed by each child and staff member here differently. CoH is a neat family to work with and I have been here for over 8 years now. God bless this family.”
Meet Uncle Protus Ndiwa
The tallest man on Campus! His height, combined with being a tough disciplinarian makes him the perfect fit as Head of the Discipline Committee at our Kitalale Home. But don’t let his hard exterior fool you! Uncle Protus, although tough, is extremely loving and caring. The children love him but will never want to face him when they know they have broken the House Rules that might necessitate him calling for a meeting with them.
Uncle Protus, in particular, has a strong bond with the older boys and acts as a father figure to Alex, James, Terah and Kevin who enjoy asking him about life as an adult.
When asked how Children of Hope has had an impact on his life, he responded:
“Before joining CoH, I had the opportunity of working for different companies under the same role as a security guard. But when I joined this family, something drastic happened; my life transformed! I started enjoying my work, my family also started to appreciate my role as they saw how happy and excited I was to go back to work. I love being a member of the discipline committee and see to it that we help these wonderful children become successful members of the community in the near future. I am so glad to be among the people changing these lives.”
Meet Uncle Martin Kigai
Uncle Martin is described as being soft-spoken, yet compassionate. One who is loving, caring, gentle, and always concerned about the well-being of others at the Home. He jells well with the children including babies given his gentle nature. Yet, he is also a firm disciplinarian and strong Christian who enjoys sharing the Word of God with the kids and other staff members. Both Elisha and Maria in particular have a unique bond with him.
When we asked Uncle Martin about how Children of Hope has impacted his life, he said:
“My favorite part of my job is playing with the children during free time. It fills my heart to see them enjoy my company as an Uncle. I always say a prayer for all of them every day before I start work.”
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Our Inspiring Driver
Meet Uncle Robert Simotwo
Uncle Robert is a strong Christian who loves to share the word of God with all during our devotions. Prior to joining CoH, he worked for a trucking company running a fleet of trucks to and from South Sudan all the way from Kenya. He would drive for over 1,500km one way from the Port of Mombasa in Kenya all the way to the city of Juba in South Sudan and then back again.
A major challenge with constantly being on the road was the dangerous conditions and insecurity. He had to cross Kenya, Uganda, and finally the borders of South Sudan, oftentimes in the middle of the night. Trucks in his fleet would often be attacked by bandits and drivers would lose commodities and even their lives during these raids. Robert was lucky not to have fallen victim to this and when he secured a job with Children of Hope to him, it was a prayer answered!
Robert, fondly known as ‘Uncle Roba’ by everyone at the Home, plays a key role in raising our children. Being the one dropping the children at school and picking them up at the end of the day, Robert reports back any information the school teachers have about the children.
The front seat next to him is highly coveted by the children and he reserves that seat as a reward for the ‘most-well behaved’ child on the bus each day. The children will do anything to sit in the prestigious front seat and this has been a great tool that has helped him calm down the children while on the way to and from school.
“Working for CoH has been a dream come true for me and my family. I remember losing a close friend to the bandit attacks deep in South Sudan when the militia ambushed our convoy! I was ready to quit the job and come home for good when suddenly a vacancy at CoH opened. Working with the children and fellow staff here is the best thing ever. I am close to my family, I am also able to share the love of Christ with everyone here and for this I thank God, always. God bless the CoH fraternity”
Our Nurturing Cleaning Ladies
Meet Aunties Lydia, Martha, and Marion
These three ladies are the pride and joy of the Home. Our superstar cleaning team at our Kitalale Home ensures that all the floors, bathrooms and laundry is clean and neatly kept. With 53 children and counting, keeping our house spotless, safe and pristine is no small feat to conquer.
They make sure all the younger children have fresh clean sheets and clothes each day. As for the older kids who are currently in class 6 and above, they have started learning from these Aunties how to do their own laundry – a valuable life skill that we want to instill in them.
Auntie Martha does an amazing job at organizing the home and cleaning our office areas. She is soft-spoken and wears a huge smile on her face while focusing on her chores.
Auntie Marion also has a quiet personality and you can often find her in our rooms working hard scrubbing and cleaning our floors making our Kitalale home the cleanest house in the whole country.
We also cannot forget Auntie Lydia. When it comes to cleaning, Auntie Lydia is extremely meticulous and is great with stubborn floors and laundry which has a lot to do with how patient she is. Slowly but surely, she ensures everything in the house is clean and well kept.
A Big Thanks to All!
Each individual we highlighted today has supported Children of Hope in ways that often go unnoticed. Their hard work, dedication, and love have been a blessing to all of us at the Kitalale home and we pray that they may continue to be the salt and light to those around them.