Our Founding
In Sept. 2003, Kate Fletcher went to Kenya to volunteer at an AIDS Orphanage called Nyumbani Children’s Home in the village of Karen, ten miles west of Nairobi. While volunteering at Nyumbani she began to think of all the other AIDS orphans who are not HIV infected who might be languishing in slums or living without proper care or educational opportunities, especially the girl children.

Kate decided to do something to help these young girls. She joined forces with a Kenyan couple, who own three houses in a quiet neighborhood and she began to house the orphaned girls and provide for their schooling. The funds to support her girls initially came from the States, but donations are now coming from Canada, Europe and Kenya.

On June 28th, an American group incorporated as HEKIMA PLACE (TIN:20-3153378) was established with the hope of  supporting a group of sixty Kenyan children on this property.  They chose the name ‘Hekima’ because it means ‘wisdom’ in Arabic. The patrons will be providing the funds for housing, food and care and also tuition to local public and private schools. In addition Hekima Place is situated on three acres of land that offers the possibility of gardening and small animal care.

On August 29th, 2005 the first ten girls moved into Hekima Place and started attending school. Today, there are 47 girls benefiting from the care and schooling that Hekima Place is able to offer them. The goal is to accept a total of 60 girls by September, 2008.

The early plan is to take only girl children since they are the most discriminated of all African children.  Male children are given top priority for schooling and the girls must remain at home.  Kate’s plan is to give these often neglected girls and opportunity for schooling.  A 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Winner – Wangari Maathi – was just such a girl whom someone helped to attend primary school, then secondary, then college and finally to become the first woman ever in East Africa to attain a Ph.D. degree.

We hope that with education and some loving care, we can raise up some children for Kenya and the world who will have choices at maturity and will go on to do great good for their country and for the world as Dr. Maathi has done.