Ntoma Orphanage

Founded in 1952, the Ntoma orphage cares for children whose mothers have died in childbirth from the time they are born up through age 2. Typically, a father or the hospital contacts the orphanage about a child in need. Evangelina Kamazima and her staff then care for the child with great love for the first years and then return the child to the father or another family member. Sometimes there is no relative to whom the child can return, in which case he or she is available for adoption by another family. There are currently more applications by potential adoptive parents than there are children. When a match is made, it is after a year long process involving the orphanage staff and a government social worker. 

Eva said she is happy about a declining number of children at their orphanage because it is a sign of better maternal health care in the hospitals. Mothers are doing better, and fewer babies are in need of Ntoma's care. However, they still have over 20 children living there. 

We made our way through the orphanage, starting in the room with the oldest children (where Lynda is pictured below). In the newborn nursery, we heard about a pair of twins who were born premature, weighing less than 3 lbs. each, and came to Ntoma to be cared for. The staff kept the babies warm with a hot water bottle, and nursed them to health and strength with rehydration formula. Amazing! It seems that they have so few resources available to them. Eva explained several times that they "work with God."

The orphanage is a ministry of the diocese, with several sources of support, especially churches in Germany. Holy Trinity members may know Eva's husband, Deo Gratias, a pastor who lived in Minneapolis for a time and worshipped with us. LuAnn Kibira volunteered at the orphanage for two years, so she was glad to return for a visit. It was a wonderful visit for all of us. God is present and working at Ntoma Orphanage.