Scottish student caught up in Kenyan orphan machete attack A SCOTTISH student attacked by robbers wielding machetes in a terrifying night raid on an orphanage which she set up in Africa had to make a desperate call home to her mum for help. Scottish student in Kenya caught up in attack in which three men broke into orphanage wielding machetes Gemma Steele was asleep in orphanage she had set up in Nakuru, Kenya Ms Steele was forced to call home from UK mobile to parents in South Uist after Kenyan phone had been stolen in raid Gemma Steele was asleep at the St Jerome's Children's Home in Kenya on a visit during the Christmas break when three men burst in at around 3am threatening her and the 16 orphans with giant blades. The gang fled with hundreds of pounds which Gemma and supporters in her island home on South Uist had raised for the orphanage, along with her local mobile. Terrified that their attackers might return and unable to contact friends locally because their numbers were in the stolen mobile, the 21-year-old used her UK phone to call her family's home thousands of miles away in the remote community of Lochboisdale. Her mother, Marion, 40, a teacher, said: "It was about ten to midnight here on the Friday after Christmas when she rang. She wouldn't have rung me if she had not had to because she new fine I would be worrying, but her Kenyan phone was stolen too with all her local contacts. She didn't say much, just that they had been robbed and that they were all fine, no-one was hurt, and asked if I could get her the number for the family who she normally stays with there so she could call them for help. "I was pacing the floor because she asked me to call her back as soon as I had the number and I was phoning and phoning but it was just ringing out so I was thinking "Have they [the men] come back and taken the phone she still had too?" She managed to phone me back about half an hour later I think, it felt a lot longer. They didn't have any electricity so they couldn't charge the phone they had and it was low. Admitting to fearing for her daughter's safety, Mrs Steele added that Gemma was unlikely to abandon the orphans after opening the children's home with two other students almost a year ago. She added: "This is the first time anything [bad] has happened. Gemma has never had any other trouble there. I think she will carry on regardless of what anyone says because she is at the coalface and she knows these children personally now. It's ok for us to say "get yourself home" but she won't leave them stuck." Gemma, who is studying Occupational Therapy at Glasgow Caledonian University, decided to open a children's home at Nakuru, about two hours from the capital Nairobi, in 2009 while volunteering at another orphanage and teaching in local primary schools. Named after the patron saint of orphans and abandoned children, it was officially opened on 18th January 2012 and Gemma was on her latest visit. Her joiner cousin, Chris, 25, also from South Uist, had gone with her to help improve the building and was also there during the horrifying raid. Reporting the robbery to supporters on the St Jerome's Facebook page, Gemma appeared surprisingly good-humoured as she made a new plea for donations to replace the stolen money. Her message read: "Unfortunately we have had all of our funds stolen from us. The festive period in Kenya can be a dangerous time! Everyone is ok and in good spirits but with the new school term approaching and security needing heightened we can't stress enough the positive impact any donations to our home will have. Thank you for your continued support. The St Jerome's Family x. A spokeswoman for Glasgow Caledonian University, where Gemma is due to resume her studies next Monday, said: "The university is aware of recent events surrounding Gemma's work in Kenya and will ensure that the appropriate advice and support is available to her."