Project Korando
Korando Faith Widows & Orphans Group (KFWOG) was started in 1997 in Kisumu, Kenya by Dolfine Gumba Dawa Oliech to address the needs of the many local children left without parent and women widowed by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Today, Mama Dolfine cares for dozens of orphans living with her and provides the children with 2 meals a day when possible. In addition, she runs a school for over 200 orphans, including those housed on KFWOG grounds.
Out of necessity, due to limited and intermittent funding sources, KFWOG is a community centered on self-sustainability. The children of the orphanage and school are fed, in part, by grain that is grown on their land and milk from their cow.
At Inception
KFWOG was established as a refuge for several widows and female orphans who lived and worked on the shores of Lake Victoria. Before coming to Korando, the widows worked distilling liquor, and the younger females prostituted themselves. In all there were 36 children and 20 widows.
First Projects
KFWOG was started from nothing, with little more than one woman’s determination to make a difference. Initial projects were undertaken with the aim of perpetuating sustainable growth. Projects included liquid soap making and brick making. With the proceeds of these first projects an irrigation pump was purchased allowing for land cultivation.