About Open Arms Village

Open Arms Village, Mlango is a community in Kenya where East meets West and healing is found by all.

Imagine a place of spectacular, unparalleled, supernatural beauty; a place for children orphaned by AIDS and other tragedies to grow in a happy and healthy environment; a place where health care can be available to people who have none; a place Westerners can come and have their souls invigorated and refreshed through their selfless acts of service.

Imagine the natural beauty of the country intersecting with the supernatural beauty in the people from both East and West, and you have Open Arms Village in Mlango, Kenya. Mlango is the Swahili word for door, and Open Arms Village is a doorway to healing and health for all who enter there.

Together, we can help change the lives of children orphaned as a result of AIDS. At Open Arms Village, they will have:

• A loving and nurturing family environment
• A home to grow and thrive in
• On-site healthcare through our medical and dental clinic
• High quality elementary and secondary education to ensure their future success
• Vocational training in agriculture, husbandry, and guest services
• Adult life education, employment contacts, and family and marriage preparation
• Emotional and spiritual support in a Christ-centered environment
• Advocacy to protect their rights and maintain their dignity

The homes where your children will live

You will help provide a family for the child that has been abandoned. We will create families where each child will live in a house with up to 16 other children. That might sound like a lot to those of us in the West, but large families are a way of life in Kenya. Each home will have house parents – ideally a mother and a father whenever possible – along with a set of assistant house parents. These house parents will care for the children year-’round, along with our friends from the West who will visit and come alongside these children to mentor, teach, and play with them.

Once the Open Arms Village is up and running, endless possibilities arise for the healing touch that can be extended throughout Africa.

Our goals for Village development in 2008

• Welcome the first orphans into existing mud homes with house parents - DONE!
• Begin the child sponsorship program in the spring - DONE!
• Surface and grade the road to the property - DONE!
• Drill a water well and build the water storage tanks - IN PROGRESS
• Build at least two children’s homes - IN PROGRESS
• Finish the architect-designed master plan schematic - IN PROGRESS
• Purchase tents for medical and children’s ministries - DONE!
• Design and begin construction on apartments for staff and visitors - IN PROGRESS

"Then they said, ‘Let us arise and build.’ So they put their hands to the good work.” -Nehemiah 2:18