Wilfred is a massive 17-year-old boy who works part time for Ian and studies at school the rest. He lost his leg due to cancer and was sadly rejected by his family. Wilfred is an example of just how strong young people can be. He will effortlessly jump, climb and perform a number of tricks that a lot of people would never be capable of. He can even drive manual (with clutch control help from Ian).

Clay seriously needs to think before he makes deals. Since we have been in Kenya he has attempted to make a number of bets that he simply can’t live up to. Currently Clay owes Dennis at least 500 shillings and is supposed to be competing with Tim in an effort to become fitter.

Witu is the poltergeist monkey at the orphanage. She has the most amazing and ridiculous facial expressions (especially when Clay steals her Orangutan stuffed-toy boyfriend). Around the orphanage Witu has the run of the place leaping majestically from tree to tree causing all sorts of mischief. When we first came to the orphanage she was cautious to meet new volunteers, but after a week she became completely disinterested in getting a pat or talking to us. The children of the orphanage are quite afraid of Witu because when they aren’t looking she jumps on their back and bites them hard. Mind you, this could be because some of the children have had a history of throwing rocks at her. “She bit me too, bitch!” exclaims Branka.

Samuel comes across as one of the most civilised orphans we have ever known. With his amazingly deep voice and sharp intellect we were completely taken by surprise when he started telling us parts of his life story. Samuel actually lived as a streetboy around various parts of Kenya for 8 years before he came to this orphanage. He is very dedicated, knowledgeable, has a lot of stories to tell and speaks perfect English. We have no doubt that he will be able to achieve anything he puts his mind to.

Benson is a very quiet guy when you first meet him. However, after working with him in the garden for a number of weeks his personality starts to emerge. Benson is full of spontaneous actions and has a somewhat scary attraction to petrol & explosions. When Benson gets nervous he sometimes stutters, but this difficulty is slowly fading as he becomes more confident. Tim and his mum Gail have just sponsored Benson.

Solomon is the most serious guy in all of Kenya. That is of course until you start mimicking his barrage of stony-faced “yes” responses or just generally tease him. Solomon has a knack for driving in Kenya. In his hands we feel almost safe on the Kenyan roads… And that’s saying something. As Solomon has grown up at the orphanage he has become one of Ian’s closest friends and was recently employed as a personal assistant & driver for Ian.

Dennis has been nothing but help (when he isn’t trying to kill us) since we have been here at the orphanage. He speaks very good English and is Ian’s highest academic achiever yet. He is currently studying something equivalent to an Australian TAFE course so he can get his grades up high enough to be trained and educated as a nurse. He has an awesome sense of humour and likes trying to show off to us guys. Dennis is also an extremely enthusiastic soccer player and has some real skills with the ball. Us guys have become really close to Dennis, but he has now left us to go back to school.

Andrew is an extremely eccentric character. Every single word Andrew speaks is packed with emphasis and followed by a range of ridiculous hand gestures. Although it is sometimes hard to understand what he is saying because of this habit, he is great fun to be around and pull pranks on. Andrew is probably the hardest working staff member at the orphanage. Each morning he wakes up around 5:30am and starts cooking in the kitchen. “Cooking” is very different in Kenya. Most days Andrew makes a huge serving of ugali (a bread-like substance made from maize flour & water) by mixing ingredients together with a ridiculous wooden oar in a massive metal pot over a fire. Andrew used to wear women’s shoes until we recently gave him a pair of Volleys.