The biggest need for HOBI right now is getting sponsors for the children that don’t have sponsors and funding to start the dormitories for the children. You can sign up to sponsor a child here.
HOBI runs on a very lean budget. The monthly cost for supplies and miscellaneous items is currently $600 per month.
To provide for each child, we need at least $20 per child per month to cover minimum needs (food, water, clothing, education, etc.), which would equate to a total of $600 per month to cover all children currently at the orphanage.
The HOBI orphanage needs about $1500-$2000 per month to cover all of its essential costs.
The best way to follow the HOBI ministry is on our Facebook page available here.
We have a volunteer nurse for HOBI who is able to visit once every three or four months due to distance. She also comes during special emergencies.
We also have a medical center 45 minutes away that we go to more often when needed.
Each day, every child is provided food, clean water, clothing, education, mentorships, counseling, personal hygiene, medical care, and Bible teaching.
Day-to-day activities at HOBI include but are not limited to the following:
During school days the children wake by 5 am. Each able child goes to the well pump to get their water for the bathroom. Volunteers or caretakers are responsible to get water for the younger children. The caretaker is responsible to feed and make sure all children get on the bus for school.
Breakfast is served from 6:30AM to 7:30AM. During this time all the children gather together in the dining room to pray together for their food, after which they will be served.
After breakfast, all the children are expected to be on the road by 8am. If there is a problem with the bus, we personally take them to school in our van. Classes run from 9am to 4pm. The bus normally returns the children to the orphanage by 4 pm.
After returning from school, all the children are expected to get water from the well for their evening bath and then come back to the dining room for their evening meal, which runs from 4:45-5:45 pm. By this time, the food has been prepared and set on the tables by the caretakers or volunteers.
At 6 pm the evening devotion starts and lasts until 6:45 pm. After this period, the children are free to enjoy whatever time they have before bed to enjoy play games, study, or even watch a movie.
HOBI makes sure to celebrate each child’s birthday. Sometimes we have five birthdays in one month! Usually we celebrate multiple birthdays in a single party. During this party we take everyone out for something special like the pool or an ice cream shop.
We also celebrate Liberian Independence Day on July 26. This day is highly celebrated by everyone in Liberia, much like July 4 in the United Sates. During this time, the children get to wear new clothes, eat special food at our cookout, and go to the park or pool. We also play games like egg hunt and bag run. Sometimes we even have a singing or bible verse competition. The kids have lots of fun!
We recently installed a new well and pump, dining house & kitchen, electricity, solar lighting, benches and table, and water tower.
Our future projects include: