My Name is
Aynalem
Aynalem
Aynalem was three years old when her mother died. Her father remains unknown. She then lived with various relatives. She was living with her uncle and, when he lost his job, he asked the Rafiki Foundation to care for Anynalem. She moved to the Rafiki Village in 2015 and was reunited with her sister Genet! Aynalem was soon happy and thriving in her new environment. She is now polite and friendly, and she enjoys having sisters and friends at the Village. She says her favorite subject is math. She is thankful that God has opened up her mind and helped her to learn in school. Aynalem's favorite hymn is "Come Thou Fount" because it reminds her of God's unchanging love and to praise him always.
DOB: Jun 1, 2004
Judith
Judith’s mother passed away when she was young, and she was then cared for by various relatives before arriving at the Rafiki Village Kenya in 2004.
Donatha
When Donatha was extremely young, her mother and father both died of an illness.
Mathias
Mathias’s mother died a year after his father died.
Abel
After Abel's mother was killed in a car accident, an elderly neighbor brought Abel into her home.
Irene
After being abandoned by their parents, Irene and her twin sister, Dorine, were living with their impoverished paternal grandmother.
Lucia
Lucia’s mother died shortly after she gave birth to her.
Rachel
Both Rachel's parents died when she was two years old.
Erick
Erick’s mother died a few hours after he was born due to complications with his delivery.
Odel
Odel was in the care of an aunt after her parents abandoned her.
Alexander
Both Alex's parents are deceased. He came to live in the Rafiki Village Nigeria in 2003.
Sam
An aunt cared for Sam after his mother and father died of an illness in 2010.
Yesunesh
Yesunesh was born in Mojo, Ethiopia. Her father died when she was only a few months old, and her mother abandoned her few months after that.
Gideon
Gideon's parents were killed in 2010 when mudslides buried their village and the families living there.
Kalkidan
Kalkidan was abandoned at a very young age, so his elderly grandparents cared for him.
Sandra
Sandra lived in her uncle's care after her parent's death.
Hope
Hope’s father died HIV positive, and his mother was also living HIV positive and was very sick. She wanted Hope placed in a good home before she died.
Jummai
Both Jummai's parents died within two years of each other, and Jummai and her brother Ezekiel were left to be raised by her grandmother.
Faith
Faith’s mother passed away as a result of severe pneumonia.
Sarah
Sarah's father is deceased, and her mother gave her and her siblings to her great grandmother.
Furaha
Furaha and her two cousins were cared for by their elderly grandmother after the death of their fathers.
Furahini
Furahini and her sister, Scolastika, lived with their grandmother after their mother disappeared.
Jean de Dieu
Before arriving at the Rafiki Village in Rwanda, Jean lived with a couple who were neighbors with his mother before she died in November 2012 in a...
Kevin
Kevin was found in the central district of Nairobi by the local police in December 2001. He was brought to a children’s home to wait while the...
Aaron
Aaron was abandoned as a small child near a police station.