Give Medical Treatments to Children with Disabilities in Kenya

I hope you are staying well and continuing to take the precautions necessary to safeguard your health and that of your loved ones! While we pray that the worst of the pandemic has passed, you and your loved ones remain in the prayers of our Missionaries now and in the months ahead. Your deep commitment to our work and to helping those in need is a blessing to us. Because of this, I want to share with you a letter I received last month.

Fr. John Fortune is a missionary working in the Ngong Hills of the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, East Africa. There, he supervises the work of the Children of Rose of Lima Center — providing medical assistance to children with physical and mental disabilities.

“The project began after some of our staff — during routine home visits with needy families — came across physically and mentally challenged children who had never been sent to school or received treatment because of the poverty of their families,” Fr. John writes. “We offered treatment to a few of these children. That opened a flood gate. Once people heard about the successes we had, parents started bringing other children with special needs to us looking for help.”

“Our project seeks to help physically and mentally challenged children from needy families. They are among the Maasai tribe in the Ewuaso River area who need treatment, medication and education. We started in 2013,” he continues, “and so far 26 children have received treatment — with nearly a dozen having had major operations.”

“The money for the operations came from some of my friends in the U.S. We also have been able to get five children into special schools as well as provide hearing aids for nine partially deaf children. What an incredible difference this has made in their lives and in the lives of their families!”

“One child in particular, Josiah, had speech and hearing impediments. Because of this, his parents did not think the little boy could do anything — so they kept him at home where he watched his father’s goats. In many ways, like David in the Bible, no one ever thought he could do anything more. As it turns out, with special education and hearing aids, the boy has become a leader and has recently been appointed president of his class. He is amazing!”

“We have 27 more children on our waiting list and many need surgery of some sort. Even though these children come from extremely poor families, the parents still pay whatever they can, but it isn’t much. I am hoping there is some way you can help. One surgery costs about $2,000. Imagine the difference we can make in the lives of these children.”

I share Fr. John’s letter with you because I know how much you value the life of every child — and you understand that they need our encouragement and support! You can help children in your own community by volunteering to read to boys and girls at your local library. You could also volunteer your time at a local children’s hospital — anything to let them know they are not forgotten!

I am also hoping that you will help us raise at least $40,000 to provide the children at Fr. John’s mission with the support they need — as well as help other children’s programs in our missions throughout East Africa. For whatever you can do, for however you can help, please accept my deepest and most heartfelt thanks.

 

Your Missionary Friend,

Denis P. Pringle
Director of Development