Holland Hall Grad Starts Orphanage

A local foundation is building ties from Tulsa to Tanzania, one student at a time. Its mission is to help abandoned and orphaned girls. And the Tulsa man behind it isn't even out of college yet.

The News On 6's Ashli Sims reports when Chris Gates was just five years old, he had dreams of the Serengeti. Back then, it was more Safari than social work. Now it's not the call of the wild, but the plight of street children, particularly young girls, that's captured his heart.

13-year-old Sofia and her sister Kulwa.

"Their father passed away about three years ago and their mother is tragically dying of HIV," said JBFC Founder Chris Gates.

14-year-old Maritina.

"They thought she found a good situation with an uncle in a nearby village. After a while, the aunt passed away. And the uncle started taking her to bed with him," said Gates.

Seven-year-old Valentina.

"She had been in a brothel type situation. And had been sold as a prostitute at the age of five or six years old, before she came to us," said Gates.

Some might hear these stories and look into these eyes, too old for such a young face, and feel hopeless. Chris Gates saw a need and felt a calling.

"I feel that these girls are my children and that this is my life and what I need to do with it. To get them out of these types of situations and to get them into a better, loving environment," said Gates.

Gates set out to build that environment, build on the spirit of resilience he saw around him.

He began the Janada Batchelor Foundation for Children, JBFC for short. It's named for his grandmother, the woman who introduced him to Tanzania.

He raised money, bought land and founded an orphanage. Two years later, he has a staff of 13 and 23 girls have a home.

"You know some of those cases, where they come from, it's incredibly hard to help them adjust. But it's amazing how our staff works with them, help them become children again," said Gates.

Not only do local Tanzanians work at the JBFC, but Gates has also recruited help from his old high school, Holland Hall.

Now these girls, who've been through so much and still manage to shine, are learning from and teaching Tulsans, like Torie Bender.

"Sitting there next to a girl, who you don't speak the same language. And yet you feel so close. And you feel like you can communicate in other ways to them. And it's just the most loving experience I've ever had," said Bender.

"This project and this mission and this vision is bigger than just here. And there's this worldwide family that's been created because of all of them," said Gates.

Gates spends about four months a year in Tanzania. And he plans to move there and run the foundation full time, when he graduates from NYU in May.