Hope House

(Add photo of home and children waiting for families)

Hope House babies home is a program of African Growth Ministries. The home was created in April 2002 to provide for the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the abandoned and HIV/Aids infected babies in Nairobi. Their aim is to care for the children until they can be adopted into good families.

During the first 26 months of operation, Hope House cared for 51 babies. Twenty-seven of these have been fostered to good families who are moving forward with adoptions, 21 babies are still in the home and 1 has unfortunately passed away.

Once children have turned 2 years old they are suppose to be moves on to other children's homes if adoptive families have not been found for them. There are 6 children over a year old that are in need of adoptive families soon to avoid having to go to another children's home.

Ruth

Michael

Evan

Faith

Larry

Thomas

If you are interested in more information on these children or the other children in the home please contact Rosaline Knobbs at rknobbs24@rediffmail.com .(Adoptive families would need to stay in country with the child for 3 months as per Kenyan law)

How Babies come to Hope House:

Abandoned babies are left in various locations, some where he/she would be expected to be found, others where the intention is for the baby to dies. Some of the babies at Hope House have been left at hospitals, shambas, and two were found in pit latrines.

These babies are usually taken to the police, who would look at admitting these babies to a hospital. From there, they are sent to a home that can accommodate them and care for them. Hope House received the babies from either hospitals themselves, or referrals from other children's homes.

Presently babies from newborn to six months old are taken into Hope House, and the aim is to have them fostered out to a loving family before they reach two years old.

(The reason the children are placed in foster care of their prospective adoptive parents is that Kenya law requires adoptive parents live in Kenya with the child they are looking to adopt for 3 months before they can adopt their child.)

Medical Care:

Hope House is committed to providing quality medical care for the babies. there is a pediatrician who visits regularly, and also when called upon. Each baby is physically checked and weighed soon after arrival at the Home, and medical tests are done where required. Standard immunizations are given at the appropriate ages.

As required, babies are taken to the hospital as needed. Thus far, six babies have been admitted for care, for an average duration of about five days.

Many of the babies coming from provincial hospitals have rickets, and are treated with the appropriate medicines and care (including exposure to sunshine). Other illnesses are treated as required.

HIV/Aids:

The majority of babies that come to Hope House have been previously tested to determine their HIV status. If this has not been done, these tests are organized whilst the baby is at Hope House.

Of the babies currently at the Home, five initially tested positive to HIV. Four, who have been at the Home several months, have since tested negative to HIV, one remains positive.