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"House of Grace" Orphanage
Mattru Jung, Sierra Leone
Officially named the Cynthia Scherer "House of Grace" Orphanage after our now Director of Rescue-a-Child Ministry (RCM) was asked by Dr. David Arnold to take over the orphan program that WEO previously had minimal success with.
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The House of Grace Orphanage, located in Mattru Jung, Sierra Leone, was originally an abandoned property site with multiple single story buildings that had been destroyed during the SL civil war (1991 - 2002). Local authorities (Mattru Paramount Chief) agreed to give the property to WEO in 2018 with the intention of restoring it for use as an orphanage compound.
Through the direction of Cynthia and heartfelt love offerings from her mom's estate as well as other generous donations from WEO members, the site was renovated to its current state, that now includes a large dormitory building that houses girls and boys from ages 2 to 18 yrs. The site also contains a parsonage where the lead pastor and his family reside, a visitors apartment to receive guests, two large school buildings that teach K-12 grades, an outdoor kitchen for food preparation, and indoor and outdoor toilets.
Recent Renovations
One of two burned out buildings (from Sierra Leone's civil war) that are being renovated for our K-6 grade school.
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A team of US volunteers traveled to Mattru to help instruct the local builders how to construct and erect strong trusses (shown in the foreground for the second school building).
Furniture constructed by hand using available wood planks. The craftsmen did a wonderful job and have now completely outfitted the House of Grace school buildings with desks and seats for all children enrolled.
Outdoor toilets constructed in 2022 for the use of school kids and individuals visiting the House of Grace orphanage site.
Our toilets have real toilet seats and water closets to replace the "floor holes" that were previously used on-site!
A new outdoor kitchen for cooking the vast number of meals needed for the orphans residing at the House of Grace Orphanage.
The water tower holds 5000 gallons of water pumped from the on-site well that was dug by hand in 2022. The pump and generator are located in the pump house at the bottom of the photo.
Builders constructing the massively long (2,200') perimeter wall for the House of Grace Orphanage site.
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These 8' tall walls are necessary for the protection of our children and the goods contained within the property
These water well holes are approximately 30-40 feet in depth and dug entirely by hand. Wells are dug only in the dry season to ensure that when water is found, it will be available year round.
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Following the main excavation of the 5' diameter water hole, it is lined with concrete to prevent erosion from causing a cave-in of the walls.
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The well is then capped with concrete and a mechanical hand pump and electric pump is installed to provide the water for the site.
A semi-enclosed front section was added to the outdoor kitchen with roof, knee walls and a concrete floor. This helps prevent water from flowing through the kitchen during the rainy season.
Recent work on the perimeter fence. We have approximately 450 feet of wall length that has not yet been started as of this photo.
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Dec 2023
The wall has been extended along the property line where the school buildings are located.
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Dec 2023