Kimera Orphanage
Love, Inspire, Transform.
We are a 501(c)(3) organization serving both orphans of Uganda as well as children living under dire conditions. We provide the children with housing, education, food, clothing and medicine along with a unique opportunity to play sports.
Our sports focus is on tennis because it enables the children to develop a mental focus as well as a physical strengthening. Both of these aspects are critical since most of the children arrive at the home underdeveloped both mentally as well as physically, and tennis provides the stimulation to get the mind wondering. And wonder is a great thing for a child.
Education
The educational level of the children arriving at our home is at best very minimal. Therefore, along with providing a loving home, we make education an essential part of their lives. We have had children arriving at the home without being able to read and write at all, and within three months they are able to read as well as write. The smiles on their faces when they start reading and writing is a clear indication of this game changing experience in their lives. The confidence they acquire from that moment on makes every day moving forward a joy for all of us as well as the children.
Tennis
As a young boy living at the homeless shelter, I woke up every morning and went to class. Regardless of how well I did academically, I always felt that my formal education wouldn’t take me anywhere. In spite of the fact that I had top grades, I had no conception of who I really was and where I was going with my life. Then I started playing tennis.
Playing tennis and competing gave me a completely different view of my life. With some success coming on the tennis courts, my thoughts ran over my remarkable transition from homeless kid to a tennis champion. Given how the game of tennis changed my outlook and my life, we now have a tennis program at Kimera with the hopes of accomplishing the same for our kids. And yes, the children have fully embraced the game of tennis, and their confidence has shot through the roof.
Currently, we have the top five players in the East African region for girls 12 and under. I’m not sure where all of these stories will end, but the impact tennis has made has been unbelievable in my life and now also for our children.
Farming
As part of our vision to be a self-sustaining organization, we have integrated farming both to provide food for the orphanage as well as valuable vocational training in conjunction with the formal education of the children.
Eddie Sengendo
They say impossible never happens, but Eddie believes impossible can happen more than once. As a young boy, Eddie lived at a homeless shelter called St. Vincent de Paul, and currently known as Father Joe’s Village. While at the shelter, one Christmas they offered the children a chance to go to Rancho Valencia to meet Santa and make Christmas wishes. While at Rancho Valencia, the children had options to participate in swimming, basketball, tennis, volleyball and watch movies. Eddie chose to try tennis, and from the first day he was a natural. As he got older and progressed, he went on to become one of the top juniors in the region, earned a tennis scholarship, and turned pro. Unfortunately, his pro career was cut short by a car accident. Now Eddie is an elite tennis coach and mentor. This is an almost impossible journey, but at Kimera we believe we can make the impossible happen again.
Volunteers
There are many ways to touch a child’s life. It can be through donating clothes or money, but time spent with the children brings out their greatest development. For that reason, we welcome all visitors. Tennis coaches, teachers of any subject and those who want to spend time with the children and the home.
2024 Fundraiser
We would sincerely like to thank the Lomas Santa Fe Country Club for their generous support and hospitality since 2012.
Now, as part of that tradition, we ask that you please join us for the 9th annual Kimera Orphanage Fundraiser on June 22, 2024, from 9 AM to 2 PM.
As always, join in for the fun, prizes and mixing with friends all while making a positive impact on the lives of so many children. With your generous help, together we will make a difference through the game we all love.