What is the importance of the Kapi’olani Home for Girls in the novel, Daughter of Moloka'i?

The Kapi’olani Home for Girls is an orphanage for girls whose parents have leprosy. It is staffed by numerous Franciscan sisters, and once Ruth is released from the leprosy community because she is shown not to have contracted the disease, she spends the next few years here where she is loved but also feels different.