Happy Home Orphanage

Happy Home was established in an abandoned maternity hospital with a leaky roof and little outside help, but with a determination by the community to care for local children orphaned by AIDS. With the backing of village elders, the orphanage began work in 2006 providing basic necessities to kids who had never been to school or read a book. By the end of 2016, many of the children shown in this 2007 photo had graduated from primary school, a significant achievement for any African child let alone an AIDS orphan. As of 2017, 30 Happy Home children were enrolled in secondary or vocational schools and were preparing for a life of independence and self-sufficiency.