The "O" Word

Since JBFC’s founding more than 11 years ago, we have often been called an "orphanage”. While our vision is to provide a safe and loving home to orphaned and vulnerable girls, that’s not a term we like to use at JBFC for two main reasons.

When people think about the word orphanage, it conjures up a picture of a desolate, hopeless place. And, when they often think of the word “orphan”, the mind naturally draws a picture of a child, without family, waiting for the possibility of a hopeful future. That image is not JBFC. 

The girls who live at JBFC are home. They are part of a family. They are full of hope, loved, cared for, and empowered for the future.  It may not be a traditional family, but these girls are sisters, their matrons are their mothers, and our staff and administration are parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Anyone who has ever visited JBFC can testify that our girls are some of the happiest, most energetic kids around. They are not waiting for a family; they are one.

But also, our organization is so much more than just a residential program or girls’ home. Our mission is to END POVERTY, and that can’t be done with just one thing. That is why our campus model was developed not only to provide refuge for these young girls, but to be a catalyst for change for an entire area. 

We are educating the next generation of Tanzanian leaders in our top-ranked school, we are ensuring that our surrounding community can live healthy lives, and we are giving the tools necessary to lead a sustainable life to both children and adults alike. We are not just a home, we are not just a school, we are not just a farm, and we are not just a clinic. But we are a family, and a movement that won’t stop until we see thousands of lives lifted from grips of extreme poverty.

Chris Gates is JBFC's Founder and CEO.