08/17/2026
Up until late last year, Bruno and his family had never owned a home. For a while, Bruno, Irene, and Jabez lived in a small, closet-like room in the orphanage dormitories. Because the room was so tiny, there wasn’t enough space for a bed frame large enough to accommodate all three of them, so they instead slept on mattress pads on the ground. Later, once the medical clinic was built, they had the opportunity to move into one of its small rooms - which was quite an upgrade at the time! But while living in the busy medical clinic, Irene gave birth to triplets, and boy, did they grow fast. Before long, it was quite a squeeze to fit their entire family and all of their belongings into that tiny room. As a mom of just two crazy boys, I can’t even imagine the daily stress and chaos of trying to fit two adults and four children into a room that small.
For many, many years, Bruno and Irene have dreamed of having a home of their own for their family. But with every penny of donations having to go toward meeting the constant needs of the Project as a whole, that dream was put on hold time and time again. Unfortunately, Bruno’s family’s need for a home always had to come last and be put on the back burner. When the children at the Project barely had enough food and medication, putting donations toward a home simply wasn’t something anyone could justify - including Bruno.
Well, fast-forward to last October, a dear, dear friend of Bruno and Irene’s from the UK, entirely on her own accord, saved up enough money to surprise the family by buying them their very first home not far from the Project. What an enormous gift it has been to them! It still nearly brings me to tears when I think about it and how incredibly well deserved this long awaited dream of theirs was. When they moved in, several of the staff members were so happy for Bruno that they even used their own earnings to throw him a celebration party. They told him, “Bruno, it’s way past time for you to have a home.”
In true Bruno and Irene fashion, they immediately began sharing this gift with many of the children from the orphanage who have become like family to them over the years. About 15–20 children who consider Bruno and Irene their parents were also invited to move into the new house - and they were, of course, absolutely over the moon about it! This sacrifice means that Bruno and Irene are now responsible for helping all these children get ready for school each day.
I love the beauty of the friendships and connections people from all around the world have made with Kafunjo, and how sacrificially they have loved and supported people who have sacrificed so much for others. This story has touched me deeply, and I’m still overjoyed whenever I think about Bruno and Irene getting to wake up every day in their very own place to call home. I know many silent tears were shed in the years before over the ache of this unmet need and the hopeless feeling that it might never come to be. After years of prioritizing the children of Kafunjo and putting all their needs first, I’m so grateful that someone was finally able to prioritize them.
Thank you to everyone who has poured into this Project and into Bruno’s family. Your love and sacrifice have made an impact that will truly last a lifetime.
- Ashley Shrader
