Bend police Detective Devin Lewis and his wife, Ann, a former special education teacher, started talking about traveling to Africa more than a decade ago, when they were still in college.

They liked the idea of hiking through a particular region of the continent, or maybe signing up for a safari or participating in some kind of volunteer project. But as the years passed and the couple married, moved to Central Oregon to start their careers and had two children, the dream of an adventure halfway around the world was pushed to the back burner. A trip to Africa, they figured, would probably have to wait for retirement.

As it turned out, however, the Lewises weren’t ready to give up on the idea.

A few months ago, the two started talking about Africa again, and this time, they had something specific in mind: a long-term volunteer trip that would involve their two children, 5-year-old Naya and 3-year-old Kai. They researched nonprofit groups and projects in several countries, put together applications and eventually got the go-ahead from an orphanage in rural Kenya in need of someone to coordinate volunteers, teach classes and organize fundraising efforts, among other tasks.

Now, the Lewises, who live south of Sunriver, are packing up and preparing to leave behind their life in Central Oregon for a place where electricity was just brought in last year and meals are still cooked over a fire.

It will be the farthest the Lewises have ever been from home, and both Ann and Devin said they know making the jump from police officer and teacher to managers of an orphanage will be a big one. But the couple said they’re ready to give back — and to give their children a chance to see firsthand how big the world is and how they can make a difference in other people’s lives.

“We talked about really wanting to give our kids that kind of exposure, so they know they’re so lucky to live what they live and have what they have,” Devin Lewis said. “We figured, all it’s going to do is make them more worldly, and better people, better kids — it’s just going to be a great experience for everybody.”

A popular spot

The Lewises beat out several hundred other applicants interested in running the Watoto Wa Baraka orphanage, which is located near the town of Makuyu, northeast of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city. The orphanage is home to about 40 children and was started by a successful Kenyan businessman, who himself was orphaned as a child. Along with a few full-time Kenyan staff members and a rotating crew of volunteers from around the world, the Lewises will oversee several efforts sponsored by Watoto Wa Baraka, including youth sports programs, HIV/AIDS education sessions and a sustainable agriculture program that teaches young people how to grow and produce their own food.

Devin Lewis said he thinks the couple was chosen in part because of his wife’s years of experience as a teacher. Before becoming a stay-at-home mom, Ann Lewis, 33, was a special education teacher at Cecil Sly Elementary School in Prineville and later a special programs coordinator at Mt. Bachelor Academy, a private school in Crook County. In Kenya, she’ll help teach some of the younger children at the orphanage alongside her own children.

Lewis said she was particularly interested in the idea of volunteering because it will allow her to get back in the classroom and work with her own children and others at the same time.

“I think the real draw is that it’s kind of all intertwined — I wanted to include my children, and I really, really was not ready to say go back to a full-time job and have somebody else raising them. … I thought that living through example will be the best way to live for my kids,” she said. “I’m doing what I love and in the process not compromising my own children and helping the kids who need help.”

Carrie Shinkle, a second-grade teacher who worked with Lewis at Cecil Sly, said she’s not surprised the family is making such a big move because she’s always known Ann to be willing to go the extra mile to help others.

“She’s so calming and level-headed in a crisis — she’s just real even-keel and those skills that she has are going to be really good for her,” Shinkle said. “I can totally see her knowing that she’s going to learn as much from the kids as they are from her.”

Devin Lewis said his transition, on the other hand, might require a bit more work. After five years as a deputy with the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, Lewis, 31, joined the Bend Police Department in 2004. As a detective, Lewis spends his days working on cases of all kinds — from murder investigations to major drug cases and thefts.

But in being a police officer, Lewis said he’s developed a variety of skills that will probably prove useful in Kenya, from having to manage several complicated situations at once to interacting with people from all walks of life. Police Chief Sandi Baxter said she’s sorry to lose Lewis for a year but believes he’ll be up the challenge of a completely different kind of job. Lewis plans to return to the Bend Police Department when he returns home next year.

“He’s an excellent officer, and we’re very excited for him and his family to be able to take that opportunity — what an admirable thing to do,” Baxter said. “He has a wide range of skills and abilities, and he’s a well-rounded, well-respected officer.”

When they arrive in Kenya, the Lewises will move into a small cottage on the orphanage grounds that’s being built specifically for their stay at the facility. Because they’ll be living at the center of activity at Watoto Wa Baraka, the Lewises are hopeful that their children will be able to spend plenty of time interacting with the other children and learning about a new culture.

Devin Lewis said his daughter is interested in the idea of her parents helping other children who don’t have mothers and fathers, but his son is mostly excited about the idea of seeing some lions and tigers. Though the children are young, the Lewises hope the year in Kenya will inspire them to keep helping others as they get older.

“What I’m hoping they take away from it is not only living in a different way in a different culture with different experience and a different way of life that’s more slowed down, but to realize that everything you have is a blessing, and not getting so caught up in doing whatever you’re doing to get to the next thing,” Devin Lewis said. “I hope they realize that there are kids out there not as fortunate as them, and hopefully this will kind of start them on volunteering and caring for others and as they go through life they will keep that in mind.”

Getting ready

The family will leave for Kenya in early June, and until then, the days will be spent making sure the family has everything packed and ready to go. There’s a lot to think about — booking flights, making sure they’ve packed the right things — but Ann said she feels up to the challenge. As volunteers, the Lewises won’t be paid for their service at the orphanage, so the family is working hard to make sure they’ve got the funding to make the year work.

“For me, and for Devin, too, I think it’s not overwhelming, because if we didn’t feel like it’s something we were meant to do, then I think the details would get overwhelming,” she said. “But at this point, we’ve sold our home, sold our car — we’re basically leaving everything behind to do something we feel really strongly about.”

When he returns to Bend to work as a police officer next year, Devin Lewis said he’s sure he’ll bring back a variety of new skills that will serve him well on the job. Predicting just what the year in Kenya will be like is difficult, he said, so he’s planning to focus on taking it one day at a time and doing what he can to carry on the work that the orphanage has already started.

“I just want to make sure to do a good job — that’s my biggest concern,” Devin Lewis said. “I feel like we’ve been given a huge responsibility, and I just want to make sure that we can hold up our end of the bargain.”

On the Web

For more information about the Watoto Wa Baraka orphanage, visit www.watotowabaraka.org and to learn about volunteering there, visit http://wwbvolunteers .wordpress.com.