fws allocates five orphaned children to just one house-mum – a local African woman who has been widowed or abandoned by her husband and is keen for a home, family atmosphere and an income. Research shows that children who live in orphanages have a better chance of growing up with positive self-esteem, a sense of belonging and resilience, if they are given the chance to develop an attachment to a single care giver.  fws will create this opportunity for its orphans by uniting groups of five children with just one house mother. Together, this family unit, will share a sleeping room and daily activities. Each house mother will take responsibility for the day-to-day care of their 'Kesho kids'.

Importantly, this set-up not only benefits the kids but also enables us to employ local women who may not easily find employment or acceptance in the wider community. For these women (and later for our neighbours), we will also establish micro-financing opportunities, where they are able to borrow small sums of money from fws and fws supporters in order to set themselves up in their chosen enterprise (typically sewing or beading) and then repay the loan. A percentage of the funds would flow to Kesho Leo children's village in order to help meet our sustainability goals.