In December 2007, the Baobab orphanage opened its doors to children in need. Since then, dozens of children have come and gone. Some have been reunited with family, others have been adopted by new families. One child, Steven Tito, died of AIDS after years in a bad medical system. These days, 9 children live at the Baobab farm and two in foster care in Bagamoyo. Three dedicated housemothers work on a rotating schedule to give the kids lots of love and attention. We keep things small and personal so that we can afford good food and care. We also put a lot of effort into working with extended families and striving toward reunification if possible. Rather than grow larger, we focus more of our efforts on outreach with the many HIV+ kids in our community.
Most of the Baobab kids arrived severely malnourished and badly neglected. Some were abandoned, and some taken from families suffering deeply from mental illness, addiction or HIV/AIDS. Today the kids are all healthy, thriving and part of the Baobab family.
The Martin Family Foundation as well as Brian Martin, have been the main sources of support for the home since its founding. The home where the children live was built by Mary Harmon, and the roof put on by TRG of Washington, D.C.