First Impression Paper: Bishop Opera Luigi Locati

Introduction

Bishop Opera Luigi Locati children’s home is an organization whose aim is to educate, shelter and support the orphans and vulnerable children. This home was founded in 2005 by Bishop Locati Luigi and Mr. Riccardo Luigi.

Mr. Riccardo Luigi Riccardo an Italian businessman and Bishop Locati Luigi devoted their lives into helping children. Mr. Riccardo passed on in 2014 as he was taking treatment in Italy. The home has been gaining support from founders and because of that the home has been really helpful. The home also acts as a rescue for children who are displaced. The home was originally Mr. Riccardo’s residence with a warehouse until it was chosen as the children’s home site. The home comprises of 115 children. These children attend different institution which includes: Roysambu primary school, Kiereni secondary school, Giovanni-e-Sylvia school for the deaf, Mugona girls’ secondary school.

The home is registered as a community-based organization in Nairobi. The directors of Bishop Opera Luigi Locati children’s home include: Mr. Riccardo, Mr. Thomas M. Otiato, Dr. Leonard P. C. Amalia, and Mr. Peter Mangula.

The home’s target groups are:

1. Families from the streets
2. Vulnerable children
3. Children who have been rescued
4. Children from poor background
5. Orphans.

The home receives mainly short term support from corporate institutions churches and individual contributions for sustainability. The home also receives things like furniture, clothes, buckets, mattresses, brooms, etc. from individual contributions.

SWOT Analysis

Strength

The home’s environment favors the children through their growth because the home is always clean and has a big open place which allows the children to play around and interact with each other. The home is located close to the city and just on the main road which make it easy accessible for visitors and potential donors. It is situated next to a primary school which makes it easy for the children when they go to school because it is close. A church is also located next to the home which makes it easy for the children to go church as its close.

The home has a stable source of income from the leased apartments and other potential institutions, which helps them in finance stability. They continue to receive donations by one of the home’s co-founders in Italy. The home is comprised of three women who help to take care of the children and do domestic activities like washing clothes, watering plants, cooking, washing utensils, cooking, sweeping, cleaning, etc. The home grows crops which reduces expenses for buying food.

Weaknesses

The home doesn’t have enough sporting equipments which limits the children’s part of sports. They could buy for the children more sporting equipments such as balls, swings for the small children. The home’s garden needs to be worked on because the grass has gone dry which doesn’t favor the children while playing in the field.

The home is located close to the main road which has a bad side because the children could have accidents due to traffic on the main road. iv) The home doesn’t have enough employed laborers who could occasionally work on the home to maintain the compound.

Opportunities

The home could grow more crops such as vegetables on their big plot of land to increase their food supplies and save more money. Another opportunity which I have already seen the home starting is to start rearing chicken which will also increase their food supplies.

The children will also be able to gain knowledge on farming through growing crops and rearing the chicken. The school has efficient resources such as a borehole which is located next to the boys’ dormitory. This borehole becomes efficient in a sense that it provides water for washing clothes, washing utensils, sweeping, cleaning, watering plants, etc. The home also a classroom where children can revise from and study English.

Threats

The home is not well secured in a sense that anybody can enter at any time and it could be dangerous to the children. The home doesn’t have a hired security guard who can secure the home. The home’s location near the urban area could also be dangerous due to different bad peer groups which are found in the urban area that could easily influence the children into bad habits like smoking, drinking alcohol, taking drugs, etc.

My first impression from Bishop Opera Luigi Locati Children’s home

My first impression of the home was positive. I entered the main gate and immediately saw the sign at the entrance of the home and this is when I knew I had arrived at the home. It was a big compound that I first couldn’t find the office. Tall trees surrounding the home were giving a good atmosphere at the home. As I approached the office I found the principle of the home interacting with another student and he immediately welcomed me and offered me a chair. He took me around the home, and in the backyard it was clean surrounding and a lady called Selinah was washing clothes.

I could already see that this home is organized and do things in line. I walked around and approached the dormitories of the children. The children had already gone to school but they had left their beds laid and cleaned their washrooms. I recognized that the girls’ dormitory had more beds and noticed that there are more girls who board than boys. Next to the boys’ dormitory there was a bore hole which comprised of water that the home uses for different purposes.

While walking behind the office I saw some crops that are being grown and these were vegetables which I could already see that reduces expenses. Opposite the back of the office, there was a small classroom where some children were studying English in that early morning. In front is where clothes were hanging in order to get dry. On the left there was an empty room and then I asked the principal what the room was for and he told me that its’ where the poultry farm will be residing which is already underway. Outside the room, there was furniture that was being fixed including benches and beds for the children.

From there I started my community service. I was given two buckets then and a small boy called Moses led me to the bore hole to fetch water, I thought it could be easy but it was quite hard because I had to deep the Jerry can in the water and pull the jerry can up which was heavy. I filled two buckets and started watering the crops. After I had finished watering the plants, I was told to sweep the boys’ dormitory. I filled the two buckets again from the bore hole and cleaned the boys’ dormitory which was a bit difficult because the ground in the dormitory had gone old and some parts there was no cement but I improvised and cleaned the place.

Challenges

The home has a challenge of massive mosquitoes which could make the children sick, since behind the dormitories there is a bush which invites mosquitoes. The home has another challenge of too much dust since the grass dried and disappeared which invites dust.

The other challenge is that buildings are old such as the boys’ dormitory which needs new cement on the ground because the original ground went old.

What I expect to do for the home

• I expect to continue in helping clean the compound so the home can have a good sanitation
• I expect to continue fixing the beds that will be taken to the dormitories such as washing the beds, attaching wood on the beds where the mattress lies and painting the beds.
• I expect to continue watering the crops so that they can grow well iv) I expect to continue interacting with the children and giving them a sense of friendship
• I expect to me and my community service members to donate at least a box of cement to help rebuild the boys’ dormitory ground
• I expect to advise the home and cut down the bush that is behind the dormitory which invites mosquitoes.