More About Us

During the 2007 post-election violence, there were many brutal killings and houses burnt down throughout Kenya. This left children without parents, shelter, clothing or food. Another cause of death that killed parents in Kenya was AIDS. A large percent of the population at that time were HIV positive which eventually led to full blown AIDS. This deadly combination of violence and AIDS caused the number of orphans continued to increase, and the streets were flooded with parentless children. This continues to be a problem in Kenya and most of these children are destined to live on the street if no one intervenes. Orphaned children are often rescued from the risks of abuse by an adult or from inflicting harm to themselves by sniffing glue as a way to get their minds off daily difficulties they face.

The Joann Tyson Children's home was founded in July 2010, by Dr. Lee and Joann Tyson and Enock Anyona in Kisii County Kenya. This group connected when Enock reached out to the Tysons on their website. The Tysons and Enock found that they were mutually inspired to this mission by, James 1:27....."Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted.  We began by doing a weekly feeding program for 7 orphans whom we rescued from the streets of Kisii and Keroka.  By February 2011 the number increased to 16 orphans who refused to go back to streets and started sleeping at our church hall in Keroka. This caused us to try and find a rented place for their accommodations and it we were successful.

In March of 2011 we located a building that could house these children as well as accommodate future increases in the number of orphaned children. The owner of this facility was Mr. Peter Omote, a businessman who also had a heart for orphans. The Tysons were the primary source for the financial support of the orphanage, which included rent, food, and clothing. The orphanage was located on the slopes of south Nyanza, Kisi County at the time, which was the only location that we could find to support the vision for the orphanage. The orphanage was founded for the purpose of housing children who are orphaned, rejected, neglected or ignored by Kenyan society.

The first few years were rocky at best due primarily to the lack of adequate funding In September 2012, we experienced our first tragedy at the orphanage when we lost our first orphan to AIDS. Some of the kids we rescue even today are born HIV positive and one of our children (Sandra) has full blown AIDS. Though she’s had some severe episodes that required hospitalization, she is still alive and is a very bright high school student. We have experienced numerous challenges since the inception of the orphanage however, we remain resilient and face them as they arise. The biggest challenge, particularly in the earlier years has been a lack of consistent financial support to meet the budget.

Things begin to change in 2014 when the Tysons traveled to Kenya for the first time and experienced the operation of the orphanage firsthand. One of the things that amazed them the most was how efficient and honest Enock was and is. He had receipts to the penny (and still does to this day) of every cent that we had sent for the support of the orphanage. Amazingly, he maintains his integrity even through personal financial challenges. Integrity was another thing that Enock and the Tysons had and have in common in that neither of them will touch a cent of the money that is designated for the orphanage for personal use, regardless of the personal need. This trip also allowed the Tysons to meet Mr. Omote in person and that meeting became a lifechanging experience for all concerned. Because integrity can be an issue in Kenya, Mr. Omote doubtless had some reservations about the claims that Enock had concerning supporters in The United States. However, when he met the Tysons in person, all reservations that he had were dismissed. This developed a partnership that continues to be effective to this day. Mr. Omote was so moved by the vision that we had for the orphanage that he wanted to sell us the land and buildings for $25, 000. After all attempts to raise the money were unsuccessful, Mr. Omote had to sell the property to an organization whose purpose was to convert the property into a tea center. Mr. Omote revealed that the reason that he was forced to sell the property was because he had taken out a government loan using the property as collateral.

The company gave us 90 days to vacate the property doubled the rent in the interim. By this time the orphanage had grown to 28 children, so finding a facility that could accommodate them all and at a price that we could afford became an impossible task. We were forced to split up the children and place them with caretakers throughout the region. This was disheartening because of the bond that the children have with each other. This arrangement remains to some degree to this day. This arrangement unfortunately led to the death of one of our orphans in a motorbike accident as he was returning to the home of the caretaker to be transported back to the orphanage.

2016 was a pivotal year for the orphanage for two specific reasons and both were definite godsends. The first thing that happened was Mr. Omote donated land to the orphanage that was larger than the land that we could not raise the money for. The second and most beneficial thing to happen was Living Word Worship Center under the leadership of Pastor Bootie began to support the orphanage. Their contributions to the needs of the orphanage have been immeasurable.

In March of 2017 the church funded the building of the first dormitory. This dormitory was designated as the girls’ dorm. This was followed in 2018 by the building of the boys’ dorm, along with a storeroom and an office, also funded by Living Word Worship Center. They also provided the bedding for the dorms. In 2020 the church funded the building of a kitchen and dining room, which was required by the government in order to bring the children home from the caretakers. Due to a lack of vacancies in area schools, the children were forced to spend the weekdays with caretakers and the weekends at the orphanage. Enock was able to get a commitment from aa area school to take all the children however, we needed a van to transport all of the children. In 2022, Living Word bought a van for the orphanage which will allow them to be at the orphanage full time.

In the early part of 2022, the orphanage increased to 42 children. Brother Seho and Sister Gwendolon Song were sending money to a pastor to take care of 14 children. She was introduced to Enock through a mutual acquaintance and asked him to check on the orphanage. When Enock arrived at the location he found that the pastor had abandoned the children and they were sleeping on the ground and near starvation. One of the girls (10 years old) had been brutally assaulted by 3 men and had to be hospitalized. He too all of them back to the orphanage where they were welcomed by the other children. The Songs have also been a godsend in assisting with the needs of the orphanage.

The orphanage has the capacity to house at least 18 more children and we are always ready to accommodate more children as we are made aware of their status. We find out about needy children through a variety of sources, including contact from the grandmother or other relative seeking help due to lack of resources. Sometimes children are simply dropped off with a note at the gate of Joan Tyson orphanage. Joan Tyson orphanage is committed to raising the children in a loving Christian environment that provides shelter, food, clothing, schooling and medical needs. In addition to formal education, the children learn to cook, wash clothes, and maintain the orphanage grounds.

Though we have come a long way at the orphanage, consistent monthly support for the budget remains an issue. The government requires staffing for the children, and we found a great crew at affordable salaries. Also, there is no free public education in Kenya. There are educational costs for tuition, testing, lunch programs, school uniforms, etc. Children live in the orphanage during their “Standard” school years (equivalent to U.S. grades 1-8) and attend nearby schools with educational costs covered by Joan Tyson orphanage. Upon completion of “Standard” school, students are placed in “Form” school (equivalent to U.S. high school). In Kenya, “Form” school is boarding school. At this stage, the Joan Tyson Orphanage covers the students’ boarding and educational costs.

We have a monthly budget of $2865 broken down as follows:

• Food: $1630
• Salaries for 7 (cooks (2), watchmen (2), matron, patron): $610
• Firewood for cooking: $100 
• Utilities: $75
• Van Driver: $250
• Fuel: $200