The Rafiki Project is a unique effort joining the resources of numerous charitable organizations and individuals. The project grew out of a need to care for children left behind by parents taken by the devastating AIDS epidemic. Conceived in 2004 by John Nganga, the Rafiki Orphanage opened its doors to these children, providing food, shelter and education.

In 2005, several Central Ohio organizations came together to raise funds to establish the Rafiki Farm. The Farm is being built to allow the children to provide their own food by raising crops and tending livestock. Ground was broken in May of 2005, and a great deal of progress has been made...including the purchase of 5 acres, construction of animal shelters, fencing and initial preparation of the land for crops.

During the initial phases of the Farm Project, it became clear that one of the most pressing needs is fresh water. Currently, water for drinking, cooking and bathing is brought in via donkey from a remote location. Rotary District #6690 Clubs Capitol Square, Columbus, Whitehall-Bexley, Westerville, Gahanna, Belpre, Cambridge and Byesville all joined together to make a push to build a well on the Farm location, and the effort has paid off.

On November 2nd, a team of 20 from Columbus is traveling to Nairobi to dedicate the Rafiki Farm, and conduct a ground-breaking for the water well. Your donations and energy have helped make this possible. In order to keep everyone up to speed on our progress, we've established this blog.

In the Blog section of this site, you can read the daily posts of the Rafiki team as they work on the farm and interact with the children and Rafiki Orphanage Managers and Trustees. In the Multi-media section, you can view photos, video and listen to podcasts of interviews with Rafiki Farm Managers and some of the children.