Who We Are

Hi Friends! Thank you for reading about our adventures!
We are Christina and Taryn and this is our story. ☺

In the fall of 2005, we met in the Middle Eastern country of Qatar, where we immediately became close friends! Taryn was working as an English instructor with the Berlitz International Language School and Christina was working as a teaching assistant at the satellite campus of her school, Carnegie Mellon University.

While there, we had a two-week break during the Muslim Holiday, Ramadan. It was during this time off that we were able to make our very first trip to Kenya, a place that we had both always dreamed of visiting.

One of the most shocking realities we faced during our trip was the multitude of children supporting themselves on the streets. It was heart-wrenching to see children as young as 5 years old, begging for money and carrying their younger infant siblings with them. We could see the desperation in their faces and right away, we knew that we had to come back as soon as possible. We needed to do something. We wanted to help!

For the past 3 years, we have been brainstorming and researching ways to get ourselves back to Africa. After comparing several different volunteer programs on-line, we decided to apply to the Institute for Field Research Expeditions (IFRE).

IFRE was able to place us in an assignment together, at an orphanage where we would be able to work with children, which was one of our main goals. Compared to many others, this organization was also the most affordable. To see a copy of our proposed budget, then please email Taryn at: taryntb@gmail.com and she will gladly send you one.

Where We'll Be

King’s Kids Village is an AIDS-related Group Home Orphanage, where children are growing up in a loving and caring environment. The orphanage was started by a woman named Mama Eleanor Stern in 2002 at the age of 75 years old.

There are currently 35 children living at King’s Kids Village.
The home cares for the children by taking them to the best hospitals and clinics as well as providing a well-balanced diet. The kids also go to school, where they are learning many subjects, including English. The home has a vision of constructing a new, larger, educational facility since the present, temporary structure is being out-grown and also eaten by termites. The dream is to be able to take care of up to 70 children.

What We'll Be Doing

We will be participating in any number of the following activities with the kids, (depending on where they need us most):

• Coordinating fun, playtime activities such as; games, drawing, coloring, reading, story-telling, singing, etc.
• Assisting with school-work
• Helping with every day activities such as: eating, drinking, bathing, brushing teeth, etc.
• Providing a sense of family and making sure the kids feel loved and appreciated
• Collecting and donating toys, art supplies, blankets, etc. to the orphanage

Taryn will be spending four weeks at the orphanage from June 1 – 26, 2009. Christina will join Taryn halfway through, from June 15 for two weeks.

How You Can Help

We appreciate all of our dear friends, family members, teachers, colleagues, and caring hearts out there in the world, that we haven’t even met yet! You can help us in any or all of the following ways:

• Make a financial contribution by clicking on the "Donate" button on the side panel of this site. You can donate through Paypal or by using a credit card if you do not have a Paypal account.
• Make a financial donation specifically for Taryn by sending a check made out to: Kenyan Volunteering Fund and send to: 5700 Bunkerhill St., #507, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
• Make a financial donation specifically for Christina by sending a check made out to: Kenyan Volunteering Fund and send to: 231 Eldridge St., Apt. 3, New York, NY 10002
• Gather any gently used, small and easily transportable, children’s toys, art supplies, games, books, etc (for those of you who live near Taryn or Christina) for us to collect and bring to the orphanage.
  
• Attend Taryn's fund raising event. (See side panel for updates to the Events section)
• Clean out your attic or basement and donate items to Taryn's fundraising yard sale or for her to put on craigslist or ebay. (more info on side)
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• And most importantly...SEND/FORWARD this site to friends and people that you know, so that they may have the opportunity to help out!!!
  

We thank you for helping Christina and Taryn bring love and care to the children of Kenya, by donating as little or as much as you can. ANY amount will be so appreciated by us, and more importantly, by the kids at the orphanage. $50, $20, even $1 would be amazing!

We promise to bring back small souvenirs to show our appreciation to all who contribute!

Where We'll Go From Here

We both intend to bring lots of love and hope to the children of King’s Kids Village. We will encourage the children to stay in school and make a life for themselves. We will hug, cuddle, laugh, and play with each and every one of them. We hope to remain in contact and keep updated on how the kids are doing long after we leave. We will do anything we can now and in the future to help this group.

And later…after this experience is over…we plan to continue to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate than us.

We have BIG dreams! We hope to take this experience to further our future goal of working to better people’s situations in Africa. We look forward to gaining knowledge, contacts, and ideas for setting up our own nonprofit, school, or orphanage some day in the near future!

ALSO - we promise to write updates, post photos, and even videos, during the time that we are there. We have been told that there are internet cafes nearby the orphanage!! So check back to see where your donation dollars went and how you specifically helped!