“Karibu” means welcome in Swahili.

The Orbit Village is located about 20 miles outside Nairobi, Kenya. When we first visited the community in 1995, we were moved by the children’s joy, resilience, and profound need. What we encountered in that small, dusty village, situated within a rock quarry, called us to action.

From that moment, The Orbit Village Project was born.

We established Orbit School of the Cross, which today serves students from kindergarten through high school. Nearly 500 students are currently enrolled. Each school day, we provide breakfast and lunch to our students and staff, more than 1,200 meals every day, ensuring hunger is never a barrier to learning. Through our Orbit College Program, more than 35 students have gone on to college, with 10 currently attending universities in Nairobi.

In 2000, we recognized a growing health crisis in the community as HIV and AIDS claimed the lives of many parents, leaving families fractured and an entire generation at risk. In response, we began HIV education and testing in 2001, becoming one of the earliest testing centers in the country. From this effort, the Orbit Village Medical Clinic was established and continues to serve the community today.

As disease and loss left many children orphaned, we opened The Orbit Child Refuge. Joshua House provides a home for boys, while The Well Dorm serves girls. Today, we are the proud parents of 75 children, and many additional orphaned and vulnerable children are supported through our Home Based Care Program.

We also planted Orbit Baptist Church, which in 2009 went on to plant Orbit Baptist Church Mathare. What began as a small cell group serving internally displaced families in the Mathare Valley Chief’s Camp following the devastating post election violence of 2007 has since grown into a thriving church community of more than 200 members. In Mathare, the church also supports an alcohol rehabilitation program, helping individuals and families take steps toward healing and restoration.

Through education, healthcare, shelter, and daily support, we walk alongside families as they work to survive the effects of a broken generation and build a more hopeful future.

Karibu. You are welcome here.