Godaif, an orphanage that becomes home

The Asmara’s children Orphanage was the first Smile Project’s focus in 2015. Since that time, the association has always followed and supported this institution, so it is obvious that it was also the destination of the first view during our trip to Eritrea last April

The main goal of the trip that, as volunteers of Smile Project, we did in April, was to visit the projects supported by the association, to see their progress and understand what is possible to do more and better.
Soon after its establishment, one of the first projects of Smile Project was in favour of the Godaif orphanage, located in Asmara, which takes in children aged between zero and six from various parts of the country. Unfortunately, the structures in poor condition of the orphanage and the lack of resources did not allow the children guests to live in an appropriate context, so part of the first funds raised by Smile Project were used to renovate much of the building: the roof was redone, solar panels were installed, the classrooms were renovated, whitewashed and painted with colourful designs, and equipped with children’s games, in particular a recreation room was renovated, which also bears a plaque dedicated to the association. Today, the facility can offer its guests better living conditions, but the children are growing and new ones arrive every year, and there is still a lot to be done!

Thanks to a system of fostering families, the children do not stay in the structure for too long; when we visited Godailf, there were 15 children, from the youngest still in their cots to the oldest ones playing with each other. Not without emotion, we met children and volunteers who take care of their needs, and we also met a disabled child, who has been in the structure for some years and is now an adult, that the absence of adequate facilities confines to the impossibility of moving except with the help of others. To him will go our thoughts and our next efforts to offer him a present and a future different from what he has lived until today.
In addition, we are working to raise the necessary funds to provide the structure with some hospital beds and wheelchairs… needless to say, we need the help of all of you!
At the end of the day, after a day full of emotions, we greeted the guest children and volunteers, for the next stage of our journey: Eri Handcraft, the women’s micro-entrepreneurship project.