Footprints Orphanage has being created as a result of my passion and personal understanding for the physical and emotional needs of orphaned children.

I was born in 1964, to Peggy an unmarried mother, at a time when pregnancy out of wedlock was hugely looked down upon. Peggy had no choice but to give me up for adoption. I was adopted by Sheila and Ron my adopted parents who gave me a loving childhood and many opportunities that guided me into adult life. I had so many missing answers to my heritage and not knowing my birth history brought me many issues i fought to deal with and had to finally accept.

In 2007 I took time out from my own personal issues to work as a volunteer in a remote village in Kenya, East Africa. I had the privilage to work alongside local people and children where running water and electricity are still unheard of in this part of the world. My time was spent helping at a local school where a water tank was being constructed to collect rain water as the local river and spring were the only source available. I spent time repairing and renovating disused classrooms and making learning aids such as number and colour wall posters to brighten up the class rooms. These helped to increase the children's motivation to learn as education in Kenya is key to a better future. The project funded a daily porridge drink, that I helped distribute amongst the children, this was the only meal or drink some of the children received all day while at school.

I spent time with the teachers and children trying to understand the cultural differences and difficulties facing children and their families and rural village life. I was immediately humbled by the people in the community and their relentless hard working daily life, without electricity and running water and their daily effots to get basic needs such as food and water to live and survive day to day.

The plight of the children in Kenya is overwhelming, and as a result of poverty and HIV/AIDS many orphans wander the streets alone in many towns and villages, constantly begging for food. Some are orphaned at a very young age, others are abused or abandoned by their parents because they cannot afford to feed and care for their children. This harsh lifestyle often leads to crime and drug abuse but the economic constraint within the country means that society has less to offer them.

The experience for myself was life changing and I felt it put my own personal issues into perspective. I returned to Kenya in January 2008 on a personal mission to continue helping the community, but also with a vision to build and sustain a home for the children who not only have lost parents or been abandoned as babies, but lack even the basic needs of shelter, food, water, education, security and a sense of belonging to a family life. After purchasing 1 acre of land from a local farmer I returned to the UK to begin the huge task of fundraising and convincing people here in the UK the difference we could make to a few of these desperate children.

Its taken nearly 3 years of determination and hard work and the support of many people here and in Kenya and in April 2010 Footprints opened its doors to its first five children.

Its been an amazing personal journey with many challanges but nothing so satisfying and rewarding as seeing children with so much trauma in their early lifes, smile and laugh again and have happiness and hope in.