Chantre Lina.S, the stage name for Pauline Sawadogo (Georges and Esther’s daughter), is the lead singer in the music video for “Naam Sen Ka To” which roughly translates to “A Kingdom Like No Other”. Her brother, Bart Sawadogo, plays the keyboard.
“I also want to inform you that the project to build a medical center is progressing rapidly in the village. We have a total of 29 rooms. I have been able to fix all the doors and windows, but now the roofs remain. We are counting on the manifestation of God’s powerful hand to be […]
The documentary film Stone by Stone: Building the Paradise Orphanage is available to watch on-demand worldwide at Kinema.com for $10.00 USD per person until August 4, 3:00 PM EDT. Once you start the film, you will have 48 hours to finish watching.
Below are videos and photos at the orphanage of the distribution of pillows that were recently received from Ms. Elisabeth. The children were very happy and so grateful. Thank you again to Ms. Elisabeth for making this distribution possible! The women of the Cercle des fermières de Ville St-Pierre helped Ms. Elisabeth sew the pillowcases.
We are so happy to share photos and videos from the Christmas Celebration 2024 at the orphanage. It took place last Saturday and all the kids were so excited. It was organized within the new church at the orphanage. It was a great celebration!
These are refugee kids coming in from the Sahel region of Burkina Faso. The video below is of Charles’ rice field. God supplies!
Please take a look at the graduation pictures and videos from the Paradise Orphanage.
Listen to Bridging Continents: The Epic Journey of Two Families Creating a Better Future for Children on the Le Balado Ancr’âge Travail podcast.
Come and watch the amazing story of the Paradise Orphanage in the documentary Stone By Stone: Building the Paradise Orphanage available from Friday, May 24th to Friday, May 31st on the Kinema platform.
Watch a playlist of 17 short videos from the 2023 Christmas celebration at the Paradise Orphanage.
Learn more and stay updated on the inspiring and uplifting story of the building of the Paradise Orphanage in Burkina Faso, West Africa, by visiting the Stone by Stone companion website.
We have a total of 30 pupils in the classroom. The classrooms are not completely finished, but ready enough to start.
So much enthusiasm! Here is a video of the children going to Class at KP Manson II.
Announcing a community screening of Stone by Stone: Building the Paradise Orphanage on Sunday August 27th at 7pm at the Log Building in Advocate Harbour. Free admission. Bring a friend!
Here is a photo of Georges Sawadogo with the Paradise orphans.
Dear Friends of Kaya’s Kids, Just thought you’d want to be kept in the loop with the annual opening of our Barn Sale here in Advocate Harbour, Nova Scotia. The Barn Sale raises about $5,000 each summer – $4,000 of which goes to the Paradise Orphanage in Burkina Faso, West Africa.
The documentary film Stone by Stone was awarded the Special Human Rights Mention Prize at 39e Festival International de Cinéma Vues d’Afrique in Montreal on April 30, 2023.
Stone by Stone was screened in the Vues d’Afrique festival on April 21st and 29th, 2023 in Montreal.
We have held a meeting last Friday with our elementary school teachers. During the meeting, we talked about the goals we have been able to reach in the different classrooms, the difficulties we met and the suggestions of solutions to the difficulties. It was a really constructive meeting.
Here are some pictures of the Christmas celebration at the Paradise Orphanage. Due to the safety issue we have right now here, things were done simply not like the other past year. There was special meal, a lot of meat to eat, some vegetables, new clothes…
The new year is starting with good news for the Paradise Orphanage.
Here are photos from a meeting with the teachers working at SJ High School. We assessed all our activities, and the teachers reported the results in the two classrooms. Some recommendations were provided to keep the good work in order to make of SJ High School a High School of reference in Kaya.
The harvest was plentiful! Here are some photos of vegetables from the garden.
All smiles! Just a quick “hello” from Charles and a Burkinabe child.
Food security! Here are some of the vegetables that we are growing.
Here are some potatoes that we were able to harvest from our farmland. It is our first experience, and we will cultivate more in the next rainy season.
A formal meeting took place the teachers at Stephen Joseph High School to organize the work and set goals for the school year. The teachers are ready and motivated to do their best to see the Stephen Joseph High School shine in the near future!
The students partake in the first day of class at Stephen Joseph High School in Burkina Faso.
We have about 70 school tables and 40 chairs to start this school year. About 12 students from the Orphanage will start attending. We are now in the process of hiring the teachers and we expect the classes to start next week. It was truly a challenging project but it’s becoming more and more a […]
Here are some pictures of the farm. We had a heavy rain yesterday. There was some damage at places, but we are okay.
We are making progress on the high school construction.
Water is now available at the farmland. We can farm now around the whole year. It’s thanks to your support that this is possible now. We will be farming water melon, vegetables and beans.
Six of our second year vocation/technical students were successful in passing the national qualifying exam. They are studying topography, civil engineering, auto mechanics, metal contruction and electricity. They are looking to go further with their training to get a professional Baccalaureate. They want to pursue university studies later when they have opportunity.
These vocational/technical students are studying sewing.
We are so glad to share with you the graduation of two boys from the Orphanage for University. They both arrived at the orphanage in 2008. We feel so encouraged by such positive performance.
We have been able set up the water tower that we are going to pump from the well and distribute for farming. The coming week we will immerge the solar pump in the well and also put the solar panels in place.
Something positive! Pauline conducted some children from the Orphanage to record their first two songs to magnify God and lift up the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
God answered our prayers. We drilled to 25 meters deep and we intially had some waterm but then it stopped. We keept working hard and drillin got 60 meters deep and the water started coming out again. This is a really big day!
We have been busy this week working on the roof. The whole project will take about 5 days. We are so glad this step is being finishing now.
This is one of our university students. It seems he’s having great time at the university.
We are making great strides in the progress of the high school construction!
Jean is a civil engineering student in Fada N’gourma, Burkina Faso.
The Kaya’s Kids Chess Team is unstoppable!
Every month for the past 6 years, Impact Coaching Network has donated $200 towards the Paradise Orphanage in Burkina Faso with the goal of helping them develop a chess program & team.
Here are some photos of the Kaya’s Kids Chess Team.
These photos are from when we organized a food distribution in November in Kaya for refugee children.
Here are some photos of our Christmas celebration at the Paradise Orphanage. It was so great. We are so thankful to the Herr family for providing support for this very special moment of the year. May God continue to bless them.
Here are pictures of our 4 vocational students. They are all in the second year of training in auto mechanic and electrician training. They are doing well and will be back this Christmas holiday at the Paradise Orphanage. We say thank you again to the Herr family for their generosity and support to these young […]
This is one of our vocational students. He is so thankful to the Herr family for giving him such opportunity to learn how to repair cars engines. He has one more year of training. He’s a very serious student. He’s is so happy and very excited about his training. May God continue to bless the […]
Here are photos of five students attending vocational training. They are study studying metallic construction design, civil engineering and topography.
This photo is of welding work to build up a support for the water tank on the farmland.
We drilled for many hours to get to a depth of 90 meters. We now have enough water for farming.
Our university students are getting ready to leave for school. Each university student received a laptop to be used for their coursework. They feel so blessed to each have a computer.
These are photos from the harvest during the rainy season. This rainy season was not good for the farmers here, but we are thankful to have harvested about 450 kg of beans for the orphanage.
We have been busy preparing for the beginning of the new school year. Photos include morning prayer in our elementary school and boys and girls receiving their copy books.
Beans have been gathered from the farming practice. The homemade egg incubator has hatched more than 40 chicks and Guinea fowl.
Our Chess School, held July 14th through the 26th, and led by Tunde Onakoya from Nigeria, was a huge success!
Incredible! After only two weeks of intensive training led by Tunde Onakoya – the students of Kaya’s Kids in Burkina Faso, West Africa compete in their first ever chess tournament!
Congratulations to the 2021 Chess School graduates at the Paradise Orphanage in Kaya, Burkina Faso, West Africa.
The Barn Sale is open for business!
The work continues! We are hoping to start courses this upcoming school year.
Here are some pictures of the children with their Christmas 2020 uniforms.
Hubert was living at the Paradise Orphanage and has now moved away.
The five boys are back to school!
The five boys are back at the Paradise Orphanage.
Georges and Esther visited the boys studying at the Vocational/Technical School in Ouagadougou.
A series of French school workbooks collected by the Montreal Book Project was sent to Burkina Faso to an elementary school.
Reminiscing back to last Christmas when the girls wore their Christmas Celebration uniforms.
The construction of the high school is coming along nicely. The second floor is in the process of being installed.
Setting the foundation for future learning!
The team is making great progress on the high school!
Congratulations to the primary school and high school graduating class of 2020!
Congratulations to the high school graduating class of 2020!
Grateful for the clothing for the children!
Clothing and shoes received from Montreal!
Wow! Clothing has arrived at the Paradise Orphanage!
Making progress! Check out the latest in the high school construction.
Clothing (e.g., dresses sewn on Long Island) being shipped out of Montreal for the refugees in Kaya.
Video update! The high school construction is taking shape!
More on the high school construction!
Jesus is born! Here are some photos from the Christmas celebration at the Paradise Orphanage.
A medical team visited the Paradise Orphanage to provide basic medical services to the children.
Below are photos from the wedding of Wedding of Charles Sawadogo, CFO of the Paradise Orphanage.
Below are photos from the first day of class at the Primary School.
Below are photos of progress from the high school construction.
Below are photos of the refugee families at the Paradise Orphanage.
Below are photos and videos of progress from the high school construction.
The Impact Coaching Network (ICN), based in New York City, is thrilled to introduce the Kaya’s Kids chess program in Burkina Faso, West Africa.
Below are photos and videos from when new clothing arrived from Canada on Feb 16, 2019. The clothing was sent by Carla and Len.
Below are a photo and videos from the high school construction on Feb 3, 2019.
Please take a look at our History and Milestones from 2018.
Below are photos from A Shipment From Canada on Jan 24, 2019. This was made possible by Len and Carla.
Below are photos and videos from the Christmas Party at the Paradise Orphanage on Jan 12, 2019.
Below are photos related to the documentary that took place at the 10th Anniversary Celebration.
Below are photos from the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Paradise Orphanage on Dec 18, 2018.
Below are photos from the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Paradise Orphanage on Dec 15, 2018.
Below are photos and videos from the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Paradise Orphanage on Dec 14, 2018.
Below are videos from the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Paradise Orphanage on Dec 13, 2018.
Below is a photo from the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Paradise Orphanage on Dec 11, 2018.
Below are photos from the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Paradise Orphanage on Dec 9, 2018.
Below is a photo from the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Paradise Orphanage on Dec 8, 2018.
Below are videos from the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Paradise Orphanage on Dec 6, 2018.
Below is a photo and videos from the 10th Anniversary Celebration of the Paradise Orphanage on Dec 4, 2018.
Below are photos of students using the new computer lab.
Below are photos of the new computer lab.
A letter from Fran & Howie…
A letter from Charles…
Charles Sawadogo attended the Yale Young African Scholars conference held in Ghana in mid-August 2018.
A letter from Charles…
Here are photos and a video of the children working on a construction project and having fun at the Paradise Orphanage.
Charles Sawadogo sent a video of the children celebrating Christmas at the Paradise Orphanage.
Here is a message from Charles Sawadogo along with photos of children celebrating Christmas at the Paradise Orphanage.
A letter from Howard & Frances Makofsky…
Esther and George try on aprons brought by the documentary film team.
Bring the joy of comfort this holiday season to a child at Paradise Orphanage in Burkina Faso, West Africa.
This photo captures a rare moment when Esther and George actually were just relaxing at the orphanage on a Sunday.
Below are photos of children with their new dresses and shorts from Long Island Quilts for Kids at the Paradise Orphanage!
Below are photos of the children starting the new school year at the Paradise Orphanage!
Check out our latest Newsletter…
A message from Charles…
Below are photos of the new classrooms including installations of the roof, windows and door.
Photos below include additional work on the wall construction!
Our school has participated in that competition and has been awarded. The certificate appears in the gallery below as well as end of school year activities.
Photos below include the wall construction!
Here is the latest newsletter on the documentary.
Please consider helping us fund the documentary.
Photos below include construction of the wall for the future high school!
Dance and be joyous!
This photo is of Corinne Franco and Howard Makofsky, the founder of Kaya’s Kids, Inc. Corrine has graciously produced beautiful shorts for the children at the Paradise Orphanage.
Photos below include assembly of bed frames, the construction of the extra classroom for the school, and sand and gravel placed on new land for the construction of a store.
Below are photos of girls working with a loom at the Paradise Orphanage.
Below are photos of the arrival of mattresses at the Paradise Orphanage.
Below are photos of the first automobile delivered to the Paradise Orphanage.
Below is a photo of the automobile delivered to Burkina Faso and is on the way to the Paradise Orphanage.
Below are photos of the 2016 Christmas Celebration at the Paradise Orphanage.
Bring the joy of comfort this holiday season to a child at Paradise Orphanage in Burkina Faso, West Africa.
Below are photos of students at the Paradise Orphanage High School and Primary School.
Scott Paskiewicz, from Eastport Bible Church on Long Island, standing next to our newly purchased 2011 Ford F-150 truck.
A message from Charles…
We are happy to report that the new moped for the orphanage has been purchased with the donation portion of our Indiegogo campaign this summer.
Newsletter Highlights: This year, 70 of the 120 children are off to the local High School.
Andrew Wagstaff of Amherst Citizen-Record wrote an article entitled, “Stone by Stone in Advocate: Documentary filming benefit concert for African orphanage”.
Foggy Bottom presents a Benefit Concert on Friday, August 5th, 2016 in Advocate Harbour, Canada, for the Paradise Orphanage / Kaya’s Kids.
Please consider contributing to the making of our documentary.
A note about our documentary…
Money for the shoes was donated from patients and staff at the PT office of Dr. Scott Paskiewicz in Ridge, NY this past Christmas.
Christmastime is here!
Desk assembly and more!