Rona Centre
We offer an integrated approach to grassroot development by establishing and transforming new/existing health and learning spaces to provide literacy learning and accessible health services – that includes ICT for all diverse groups. We also advocate and support smart agriculture, climate change and care programs, as well as psycho-social support to widows and orphans. Overall, we focus on trauma aware, transformative and impactful programming with long-term sustainability goals in education, health and agriculture.
Rona Orphans and Widows Centre is a project currently under Rona Foundation, and has been in existence since year 2012.
Through the Rona Centre in Wagoma, Siaya County, we offer education support, agriculture and health services for the empowerment of rural widows and orphans.
Currently, Rona Centre serves more than 200 children and about 8,000 widows.
Rona’s core focus at the centre is on education, health, nutrition and care which is inclusive of psycho-social support to Orphans and Vulnerable children (OVC), both boys and girls, who are infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS.
Rona Centre is fostering lasting partnerships as well as engaging the community in supporting and protecting the orphaned children at the perishing lakeshore villages.
Through the support of our friends and partners, Rona is envisioning self-sustainable projects geared towards ensuring our children are well catered for.
Rona Centre has a mini-shop (duka). The duka sells a variety of household commodities to the surrounding community, and stocks items like sugar, cooking oil, soap, rice, lentils, bread, milk, sanitary pads etc. It is among the income generating projects for the Rona Centre.
The centre has a multi purpose community hall with a capacity of 200 people, that is used for community meetings, workshops, prayer services and other related activities, as well an administration office.
Sustainability Projects
Education
Currently, Rona Centre is home to over 200 children (26 residential and over 150 who are supported through our outreach program) and provides educational programme and skills training – such as tailoring, beauty and hairdressing training.
Rona runs the Rona School of Excellence, a primary school in class 4 with 50 children, and is expanding to a digital/multilevel School at Rona Centre.
Rona Tailoring School garment making has 15 trainees, and empowers widows and teen mums with skills & entrepreneurship Knowledge.
Health
Rona clinic provides holistic and basic medical treatment to the community along the perishing lakeshore villages in Bondo, and dreams of offering antenatal care for mother and infant as well as upgrading to Rona health centre, an equipped medical centre, by 2024, with laboratory services and wards. Currently, the clinic runs a pharmacy that provides basic medicine to the community and serves more than 50 patients a month, with plans underway for expansion – at the new 2-acre site that we aquired in 2020.
Agriculture
The Agricultural Hub project adopts “seeing is believing” form of training for rural widow farmers.
The project is an ongoing Hub (Centre) for safe vegetable production at Rona Centre. The Agricultural Hub is designed to address knowledge gaps along the vegetable value chain and serve as centers for education, crop trials and experimentation.
Here all the good agricultural practices and other technologies used in vegetable production is demonstrated to rural widow farmers and the lakeshore community.
The Hub has a growing orchard. The orchard, divided in two sections, is growing and currently has a variety of fruit trees e,g papaya, mango, oranges, avocado and bananas. Our long term plan, is to start a fresh juice processing plant as a value addition, and revenue stream from the orchard.
Progress
The Founder, Roseline Orwa established the centre at inhabited land in Wagoma village, which she bought with a little support from her brother, then later moved the children from her mother’s house to the centre. The number of orphaned children is still overwhelming. Rona depends on the Founder’s resources, local churches and individuals for the children’s basic needs to date.
- 2012: Rona launches the centre in Wagoma and feeds over 300 orphans, in attendance with community leaders and stakeholders
- 2013: Rona builds the girls and boys dormitory from Roseline’s own savings. And provides a home to 30 children. Later that year, over 150 children in Orengo Primary School receives uniforms, tailored by Rona staff and funded by online fundraising.
- 2014: Rona conducts a 3 day free medical camp with over 3000 patients treated, in partnership with Bondo District Hospital, and funded by individuals, friends of Rona.
- 2015: Rona builds a mini clinic/pharmacy and shop, funded by Tejcheve Foundation, to serve the endless health needs, since the nearby government dispensary is 6kms away in a remote village with no road structure, a nurse (widow) was employed. An ECD school was launched with 18 children, as the nearby school is 3kms away. One teacher was employed.
- 2016: The road network in Wagoma Village is constructed following the continuous lobbying of Rona Foundation amidst resistance from the community. Water and sanitation was implemented with improved toilets. The ECD School gets a face lift funded by Zonta Club, Germany.
- 2017: Rona constructs a ‘volunteer house’ for hosting mission teams, volunteers and staff. The house remains incomplete. The foundation for cottages is also laid, and remain unfinished.
- 2018: Rona sends 13 children to secondary school. And continue to support over 150 orphans, 26 resident in the project. Rona stops weekend feeding due to lack of resources and support.
- 2019: Began garment making section, with support from Modern Widows Club, and admits 8 teen mothers and young widows, sends 8 children to secondary school. Continues to support over 150 orphans – 18 resident in the project. Begins transition to school-based programmes to support orphans.
- 2020: Rona aquires 2 more acres of land to expand the health clinic, sends 40 children to secondary school and technical skills training (tvets). Expands the school to grade two, enrolling 25 new learners in the school.
- 2021: Rona aquires 1.8 more acres of land to expand the school, sends 48 children to secondary school and technical skills training (tvets). Expands the school to grade four, enrolling 47 new learners in the school.
