Six men lead effort for 24 orphanages

These children have a home at Emmanuel Orphanage in Matongo, Kenya.

Imagine providing for a household that includes your own children plus two, three or even four extra mouths to feed.

That's the norm in Kenya, Africa, a country where half the population of 32 million is children. Two to three million of those youngsters have lost both parents.

"Families with a husband and wife take in extra children, but, no matter how much compassion they have, they have to stop at some point," said Roger Weinlaeder, one of six fellow Lutherans who trekked to Africa two years ago with Rev. Bernhard Seter, vice chair of the LCMS Board for Human Care Ministries, on a mission fact-finding trip.

The men returned home determined to lend a hand to orphans they will never forget. The group—Ed Bean, Mark Hatloy, Bill Sharpe and Bob Wurl of Grafton, N.D., and Kurt Daudt of Zimmerman, Minn.—have launched an ambitious effort to build 24 orphan rescue centers and provide scholarships for orphan support.

Called Project 24, this new challenge is the dream of Rev. Walter Obare, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK). Each rescue center—a more acceptable term in Kenya than orphanage—will be built near an ELCK church or school.

The first rescue center will break ground in Mombasa, a city with a strong Muslim presence. The men are working with three ELCK pastors in Mombasa who tirelessly toil for the Lord. The pastors (former Muslims) already care for 13 orphans.

Using an existing rescue center as their model, the group knows they can build a new facility for 50 children for about $40,000. A sponsorship of $400 a year will cover the needs of one child at the orphanage, including food, clothing, medicine and schooling.

These LCMS members see each center as an opportunity to reach beyond the orphanage walls to also serve as a base of support for families caring for orphans.

Why another project in Kenya? "Other parts of Africa also have great needs, but in Kenya, we have the support of a partner church (the ELCK) and the government's blessing," Weinlaeder explained. "We cannot get things done as efficiently in other places as we can in Kenya."

These Lutherans include a farmer, a banker and other busy professionals. They have family responsibilities. But they are so determined to help ease the suffering of Kenyan orphans, they will travel to congregations and Bible study groups to share more about this project.

To learn more, contact Weinlaeder at (701) 454-6498 or weino@polarcomm.com.