Salome Musumba: A Mother to Many, A Servant of God
Compiled by GO! Kenya Team, Nairobi
Background and Early Commitment to Orphan Care
Salome Musumba is a 60-year-old wife, mother, and dedicated Evangelist at the ACK Church. She resides in Khwiliba village, Evwirani sub-location, Vihiga County, where she also practices small-scale farming. A mother of four biological children—three boys and one girl—Salome’s heart for the vulnerable began in 1982, the same year she got married.
Shortly after her wedding, tragedy struck her extended family: her sister-in-law passed away, leaving behind three orphaned children. Without hesitation, Salome took them in, raising them alongside her own children. Today, those three children are grown and thriving—testimonies to the nurturing love she provided in their most vulnerable years.
Training and Transformation Through the Great Commandment Workshop
On 6th May 2023, Salome attended the Great Commandment Workshop held at Christ Church ACK Kakamega. This training became a turning point in her caregiving ministry. She gained critical insights into how to care for orphans holistically—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The workshop deepened her understanding of trauma-informed care, the importance of emotional connection, and how to instill values and biblical principles into the daily lives of children.
Current Ministry: Caring for 11 Orphans
Salome is currently the guardian of 11 orphans, none of whom are her blood relatives. Nine of the children are total orphans, while two have surviving mothers who are unable to care for them. All of the children live in her home. Although her house is spacious, the boys sleep in the kitchen due to a lack of separate rooms.
She provides them with food, clothing, shelter, and access to education, fully integrating them into her household. The children are enrolled in various schools, including:
Lusire Secondary School
Ivuve Secondary School
Wilber Secondary School
Rwiriba Primary School (Grades 4 and 8)
Good Hope Academy (Playgroup level)
Her main source of income is farming, supplemented occasionally by her husband and adult children who assist in meeting the children’s needs—particularly for education and food. Her faith and dedication drive her efforts despite limited resources.
Challenges in the Mission
Salome faces significant challenges, the greatest being financial limitations.
Medical care is especially difficult; when a child falls ill, affording treatment becomes a heavy burden.
School fees are another major concern—some of the children have been sent home from school due to unpaid balances.
She often relies on well-wishers and her extended family when they are able to contribute. Additionally, she actively seeks bursaries and other local forms of educational support for the children.
Impact and Transformation
Despite the hardships, the transformation in the lives of the children under her care is remarkable:
Health: The children’s general health has improved significantly under her care.
Spiritual Growth: Salome nurtures them in a godly, faith-based environment, helping them grow spiritually through prayer, Bible study, and church involvement.
Discipline and Social Reputation: Their behavior is commendable, and community members often praise their discipline and character, a direct reflection of her guidance and love.
Personal Testimony of Healing and Faith
Salome shares that through her ministry to orphans, God miraculously healed her. She had been seriously ill, bedridden, and unable to perform even simple tasks. Yet, in the midst of her struggle, she continued to care for the children. In her words, “God healed me and restored my strength so I could continue serving.”
She testifies to seeing God’s provision time and time again—even on days when there was no food. Her faith has been her anchor, and she believes that the employment of her own children is a direct blessing from God because of her faithfulness in caring for orphans.
Message to the Church and Fellow Believers
Salome draws inspiration from Luke 5, where Simon Peter fished all night without a catch. Yet, after following Jesus' instruction to try again, he experienced a miraculous catch. Salome encourages believers who feel overwhelmed or under-resourced not to give up:
“Even when you feel like you have nothing, don’t stop caring. God will show up in ways you never expected. Just as Peter cast his net again in faith, we too must continue serving the orphans. In doing so, we will reap the fruits of God’s blessings.”
A Living Example of Compassion and Faith
Salome Musumba is more than just a caregiver—she is a mother to the motherless, a beacon of hope in her community, and a living example of how ordinary people can make extraordinary impact through faith, love, and selfless service.
To support the continued roll-out of our Church Mobilization Initiative you may select the Donate button on the top-right of this screen or go to Global Orphan Relief and simply enter the amount that you wish to contribute and select Church Mobilization Initiative under ‘Fund’.
Global Orphan Relief (GO) has been serving orphaned children since 2005. We have accomplished this work through local partners in each country that provide oversight and distribution of care through three care initiatives; Home-Based Care, Education, and Nutrition. In 2022, we launched our Church Mobilization Initiative by which we are mobilizing the local church to care for orphan children.
Beyond the financial commitment of co-hosting Great Commandment Workshops, this effort is Indigenous, self-propagating, and self-supporting. Our objective is to engage local churches to expand our GO! network, mobilize the church body to serve orphaned children, and advance the Kingdom by demonstrating the Gospel to others. Through these workshops, we are:
Church Mobilization is our newest initiative launched in February 2022. We are currently working with local area churches to co-host Great Commandment Workshops where we bring together multiple subject matter experts to discuss the why and how to serve the poor generally, and orphan children specifically. We track the impact of children served through this through local GO! teams in each country.
We have co-hosted and facilitated thirty-three workshops in Africa & Asia, where we have hosted more than 5,000 ministry leaders. At the conclusion of these workshops, we have been honored to commission more than 4,000 GO! Ambassadors. GO! Ambassadors are those who have received the call to serve orphan children in their communities during these one-day workshops and have made a commitment to serve children in their community. We encourage them in their journey to serve others each month. In addition, we provide additional training and encouragement through our online Great Commandment Academy.
In June 2025, this GO! Ambassador Network served 11,485 orphan children in Africa & Asia.
You may send support or other correspondence to Global Orphan Relief, 16352 Prairie Farm Circle, Parker, CO 80134 or you may give also give electronically at Church Mobilization Initiative or give on this website at the upper righthand corner under ‘Donate’ by choosing Church Mobilization Initiative under the Fund designation.
Movement of FAITH | Voice of HOPE | Act of LOVE
Global Orphan Relief (GO!) is a Christian relief agency serving vulnerable children and is a recognized U.S. public charity, tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3). All donations to GO!, or any charitable contribution processed through Network For Good Donor Advised Fund, are tax deductible to the extent of the law. If you prefer, you may provide gifts of support by sending via mail to the address above.