In 2006 Reverend Emanuel Lyimo of the Sacred Heart Church in Mahida, Tanzania set up a committee to determine the extent and impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic within his parish community an area that covers eight villages. Sixteen parishioners, two per village, surveyed each village, and determined that approximately 700 children had been left orphaned due to the AIDS epidemic. Most of these children are living with relatives and doing well under these circumstances but others are living under difficult conditions in the homes of relatives, friends, or neighbors. Many adults in the community struggle to care for a sick family member and cannot devote the time, energy, or resources needed to properly assist the orphaned children.

Upon receiving this information Reverend Emanuel set out to confront this problem by planning to establish an orphanage to house those orphans who are at the greatest risk of failure. He understood that in order for the orphanage program to succeed it would be necessary to build a medical clinic and to install deep water well to deliver safe, clean, easily accessible water.

At the same time Mary Wandia a Kenyan now living in Maryland contacted Fr. Emanuel to express her desire to help the poor and marginalized people in the underdeveloped regions of the world. She learned of Reverend Emanuel’s plan to care for the orphans within his parish community through her acquaintance with Reverend Mark Mlay who is the parochial vicar at St Anastasia Catholic Church located in Ft. Pierce, Florida and who grew up in Mahida.

Shortly after Reverend Emanuel accepted Mary’s offer of assistance, Mary set out to raise money by establishing Support the Poor a non-profit corporation. Having heard from a parishioner in her church (St Johns the Evangelist Catholic Church in Columbia, Maryland) about the Knights of Columbus and the charitable work that they perform Mary contacted Bob Estright then the Grand Knight of Columbia Council 7559 which is affiliated with St John’s and sought the council’s assistance in raising money for the orphanage center.

After an extensive background check into the orphanage project which included contacting the Bishop of Moshi, Caritas Tanzania, and Catholic Relief Services in Baltimore, Maryland to confirm the validity of Reverend Emanuel’s request the Columbia Council agreed to take up the task of raising money for the OLFCC.