Housing Vulnerable Children in Kenya: Progress Update
Sister Agnes Khati, SOM (Sisters of Mary) visited St. Francis of Assisi at last year's parish picnic with her friends, St. Francis parishioners Tom and Mary Wakefield. Sr. Agnes is in search of "angels" to help build a dormitory in Kakamega, Kenya, for the 40 school children she has taken in who have a school but no safe place to live.
Ongoing efforts, including a special collection here at St. Francis, have raised half of the $64,000 needed. Ground has been broken and progress is being made on the building. The fundraising effort continues.
The sisters help with some of the labor. Their hearts are grateful for the St. Francis community's support. Please hold this effort in your prayers. If you would like to be an Angel for the children of St. Joseph Academy and help them complete their safe shelter, you can contact Mary Wakefield at 734-973-6113 for information on how to contribute. For more information on this effort, visit the parish webpage: https://stfrancisa2.com/justice-advocacy
https://stfrancisa2.com/justice-advocacy
Learn more - FAQs :
FACEBOOK:
Special Collection to Benefit the Dormitory at St. Joseph Academy in Kakamega, Kenya
FAQs ~~~
- Who runs St. Joseph Academy?
The school was founded by Sr. Agnes Khati, who belongs to the Congregation of the Sisters of Mary in Kakamega Catholic Diocese, in western Kenya.
Sr. Agnes saw a need to care for the increasing number of street children, many of whom had fallen out of school due to the loss of one or both parents as a result of HIV/AIDS. Sr. Agnes' big heart has welcomed other vulnerable children to the school as well.
- Why is a dormitory needed?
The students at St. Joseph Academy are orphaned and vulnerable children. Sr. Agnes has shared stories of children being lost through abduction and even murder. The dormitory will provide them with a more secure place to sleep, as well as basic necessities like clean running water.
- How can we be assured the funds will be used for the intended purpose?
St. Francis parish has arranged for the Sisters of Mary located in Oregon to receive the funds from our collection and send them to the St. Joseph Academy. Other local faith communities have successfully supported the St. Joseph Academy for years. Members of the St. Francis Peace and Justice Committee met with them and were assured that there has never been a problem with funds being used as designated.
- How much will the dormitory cost and is anyone else contributing to it?
The cost is about $80,000 (US), with the dormitory to be built in stages as funds are available. Another local church is also supporting this effort, as well as several individuals in the area.
- Do we know what the dormitory will look like? Who will build it?
Yes, we have seen several iterations of the building plan. Please see the parish website for the most current version. Both paid and unpaid individuals in the community of Kakamega will be helping to construct the dormitory.
- How many students will the dormitory accommodate?
The dormitory will sleep about 40 students. It will also provide secure sleeping quarters for the school’s teachers.
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Thanks to our St. Francis Parish Peace & Justice Committee... http://stfrancisa2.com/church-community/outreach/peace-justice
For the Forum (weekend of Jan 10/11, 2015)
Special
Collection for a Dormitory at St. Joseph Academy in Kakamega, Kenya
What
would you do if you were a priest arriving at church for morning mass, only to
discover an orphaned 6-year old on the doorstep? In Kakamega (in western Kenya), you would contact
Sister Agnes Khati.
Sr. Agnes tells how she was called out of the church one
day by on old woman, who wanted her to witness a child lying on the
roadside. The child was crying for food;
her parents were dead from the pandemic of HIV/AIDS that has hit some African
countries very hard. Seeing the child’s
plight, Sr. Agnes could not turn her back.
She quit her administrative job and began serving these desperate and
vulnerable children who had no one else to care for them. Without knowing where the resources would
come from—but trusting in God to help—she founded St. Joseph Academy. Today, the school provides food, clothing,
and education to 40 children, ages 4-16.
In
September, Sr. Agnes travelled to Ann Arbor to visit a local faith community
that supports the school. While here,
she attended our parish picnic and met with the St. Francis Peace & Justice
Committee. She told us that she needs
“angels” to help her achieve her dream of building a dormitory for the students
and staff at her school—a place where they can live without fear of being
abducted or murdered (as some of her students, sadly, have been); a place where
they can have a solid roof over their heads and clean water for drinking and
bathing.
If you would like to be one of the “angels” Sr. Agnes seeks,
please give to the second collection on January 17/18. Collection
envelopes will be in your pew next weekend.
Or send your donation to Scott Wright at the parish office. Make checks payable to “St. Francis Parish”
with “St. Joseph dormitory fund” in the memo line.
Additional information about the dormitory (including a
proposed floor plan, FAQs, and photos of the children) can be found on the
parish website
http://stfrancisa2.com/church-community/outreach/missions-disaster-relief/missions-abroad
http://stfrancisa2.com/church-community/outreach/peace-justice FACEBOOK
http://stfrancisa2.com/church-community/outreach/peace-justice FACEBOOK
For the Forum (weekend of Jan 17/18, 2015)
Special
Collection for a Dormitory at St. Joseph Academy in Kakamega, Kenya
In last week’s Forum, we introduced you to Sr. Agnes
Khati, of the Sisters of Mary in Kakamega, and her school, St. Joseph’s
Academy. This week, we share the story
of one of her students.
What
would you do if you were someone like Edith, an orphaned and vulnerable child
living alone in the developing country of Kenya? Maybe you’d be lucky enough
to live in Kakamega and be cared for by Sr. Agnes.
Edith was an orphan living hand-to-mouth, without a
family or shelter. The St. Joseph
Academy and its food program offered her some stability in her life—something
that is sorely lacking for many children in this country, where malaria, child
abduction / trafficking, and poverty are part of their lives.
The Kakamega region
is in western Kenya near the Uganda border.
Thanks to people like Sr. Agnes and the Sisters of Mary in Kakamega,
children like Edith receive a high-quality Catholic school education and basic
necessities like food, clothing, and the love and care of adults. Unfortunately, child abduction and ritual
killings sometimes occur here, and Sr. Agnes tells stories of such horrors
affecting even her own students. With a
dormitory added to the school, the students and staff would be safer.
The academics and support of St. Joseph Academy provide a
strong foundation to students like Edith, so they can achieve a better
future. Edith is now a high school graduate,
applying to a medical training college to become a nurse. She is just one example of the success Sr.
Agnes has had in caring for and lifting up vulnerable children.
You can help Sr. Agnes’ efforts. Please give to the second
collection this weekend. Collection envelopes are in your pew. Or send your donation to Scott Wright at the
parish office. Make checks payable to
“St. Francis Parish” with “St. Joseph dormitory fund” in the memo line.
Additional information about the dormitory (including a
proposed floor plan, FAQs, and photos of the children) can be found on the
parish website http://stfrancisa2.com/church-community/outreach/missions-disaster-relief/missions-abroad
http://stfrancisa2.com/church-community/outreach/peace-justice FACEBOOK:
http://stfrancisa2.com/church-community/outreach/peace-justice FACEBOOK:
Thanks to our St. Francis Parish Peace & Justice Committee... http://stfrancisa2.com/church-community/outreach/peace-justice
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