Umra Orphanage Visit

On a recent bright and sunny day, Majura, Rhajabu and PoHEO volunteer Owen visited Umra orphanage located in Mzimuni, Dar es Salaam. Umra orphanage cares for orphaned children ranging from toddlers to young adults.

The orphanage is located in a small neighborhood next to a large factory. When you walk inside, you are greeted by a number of smiling children competing for attention. The orphanage is a small one story home with sleeping quarters separated by gender. It is a safe and secure location for the children, with mosquito nets and bunk beds.

Some older children were timid and shy. They are constantly helping attend to the younger children as part of their duties at the orphanage. The children mainly wear casual clothes including religious and cultural clothes like hijab and scarfs. The boys wear shorts and a t-shirt.

We talked with the director who explains everything the center does for the kids. Umra orphanage faces a number of challenges, like so many other organizations, including buying food and clothes as well as paying school fees. Other challenges are working with childrens families to reunite them. The limitation can be as simple as transportation to take the child home.

Before leaving, we gathered the children to take a photo and thank them for their hospitality. We leave with a sense of gratitude with Umra orphanage offering to accept the at-riks and homeless children PoHEO encounters daily during street outreach. Even with Umra's limited resources, they know the need and destitution of orphaned children and will help when called upon. That is why Pillars of Hope partners with organizations like Umra to ensure the limited resources make it to those youngest people at greatest risk.