There was only one thing we were hoping to do on our trip that didn't happen.
We have heard so many different things from different people about how we should register and why to use their method. The home itself will be registered as a Charitable Children's Institution (CCI). Kenya used to let these stand alone (and most of the advice we've gotten is that method), but not so much anymore because of fraud and exploitation of vulnerable children. A CCI can be registered under an NGO, a church, or another ministry.
Joel has advised us to register Maisha Kamili as a ministry, with Maisha Kamili Children's Homes (a CCI) registered under it. We had planned to go the NGO route, but Joel had very good reasons why it would be better to register as a ministry.
We hadn't realized that these were two separate processes in two separate government offices. To register a ministry, you have to go through the Attorney General's office in Nairobi. They don't even have applications available anywhere else. We had hoped to go to Nairobi one day to do this while we were up there.
Since we didn't have time, Rodgers went alone to Nairobi on Thursday. He took our constitution and everything with him so that he could just fill out the form at the office and turn everything in, which is what we were told would happen. Well, the application has to be typed and signed by me as well as him. So, he brought it home. We worked on it yesterday. He'll go back to Nairobi one day soon to turn it all in, in person. We learned our lesson about sending things by mail with my dependent's pass.
What is very encouraging is that, as we described our idea and the group home model rather than a dormitory-style orphanage, we've been told again and again that this is the way the government wants CCIs to be from now on. We're praying that we find favor with the government here, and that our paperwork can be filed, that we can be registered, without having to cut through more red tape.
We have heard so many different things from different people about how we should register and why to use their method. The home itself will be registered as a Charitable Children's Institution (CCI). Kenya used to let these stand alone (and most of the advice we've gotten is that method), but not so much anymore because of fraud and exploitation of vulnerable children. A CCI can be registered under an NGO, a church, or another ministry.
Joel has advised us to register Maisha Kamili as a ministry, with Maisha Kamili Children's Homes (a CCI) registered under it. We had planned to go the NGO route, but Joel had very good reasons why it would be better to register as a ministry.
We hadn't realized that these were two separate processes in two separate government offices. To register a ministry, you have to go through the Attorney General's office in Nairobi. They don't even have applications available anywhere else. We had hoped to go to Nairobi one day to do this while we were up there.
Since we didn't have time, Rodgers went alone to Nairobi on Thursday. He took our constitution and everything with him so that he could just fill out the form at the office and turn everything in, which is what we were told would happen. Well, the application has to be typed and signed by me as well as him. So, he brought it home. We worked on it yesterday. He'll go back to Nairobi one day soon to turn it all in, in person. We learned our lesson about sending things by mail with my dependent's pass.
What is very encouraging is that, as we described our idea and the group home model rather than a dormitory-style orphanage, we've been told again and again that this is the way the government wants CCIs to be from now on. We're praying that we find favor with the government here, and that our paperwork can be filed, that we can be registered, without having to cut through more red tape.