by Dionel Rodriguez | Feb 8, 2022
Mission Outreach Programs
For several years, the Region has been sending teams of university students to serve in impoverished, pastoralist, marginalized areas of northern Kenya: Turkana, Isiolo, Marsabit, and Pokot. The teams assist in parishes for 4-6 weeks and carry out educational, catechetical, women’s empowerment programs, and health programs in the parishes. Two mission teams of medical, nursing, public health, and pharmacy students volunteer for medical ministry in Turkana, northwestern Kenya. University students will offer tutoring in parish schools for primary and secondary school students. They will assist catechists in providing religious instruction. They will offer health education in matters of diet, hygiene, maternal health, children’s health, human sexuality, and HIV prevention. Medical, nursing, and pharmacy students will assist in parish dispensaries. Students in agriculture and animal husbandry will offer training on small-scale agriculture and livestock development.
Your support will give student participants the experience of mission for a new understanding of themselves as agents of evangelization by living our Catholic faith. Fr. John Waldrep wants to assist parishes in northern Kenya with their educational, catechetical, women’s, and health outreach programs.
by Dionel Rodriguez | Feb 8, 2022
Aid to Women and Children
Fr. John Waldrep has developed a system to assist women meet their expenses and start some small on-the-street businesses (fruit and vegetable stands, fast food stands, and stands for small domestic items and beauty products) that enable them to meet their expenses and move away from commercial sex work. The second part of this project is maternal assistance to pregnant secondary school young women and university women. Pregnant university students are denied on-campus accommodations soon after the first trimester. In addition to meeting the costs of pre-natal care, they must pay rent and utilities, prepare to cover delivery costs, purchase baby clothes, and buy food. Often, families refuse to assist pregnant students and insist on ending the pregnancy.
With your help, women will be able to establish small on-the-street businesses and meet their daily needs for food, housing, education and medical care for their children. Pregnant young women will be able to attend secondary school and university students will continue their studies.
“Everywhere we are touched by the triumph of the human spirit and enriched by encountering people’s faith experience. We join with them announcing the healing, reconciling and liberating Jesus.”
by Dionel Rodriguez | Feb 2, 2021
Clinical Pastoral Education at Bugando Medical Center Subsidy, Tanzania
With your help, we will subsidize school fees for the Clinical Pastoral Education Program (CPE) at Bugando Medical Center (BMC) in Mwanza.
Maryknoll priest Fr. John Eybel. M.M., supervises students in the program two days each week while living at Mabatini Parish in Mwanza Archdiocese. His education project is not self-sustaining but is paid for by student fees and contributions from the hospital and from the Tanzania Episcopal Conference. Most participants are seminarians currently coming from Musoma and Mwanza.
“As we reach out in compassion and solidarity with the poor, let us keep in mind that we’re not making God present but rather witnessing God already present.”
by Dionel Rodriguez | Oct 9, 2020
La Posadita del Buen Pastor
La Posadita del Buen Pastor (Little Inn of the Good Shepherd) provides shelter, food and medical care for children and women with HIV/AIDS. There are 14 children and 7 women living at the Posadita. This is one of only two AIDS shelters in Peru for women and children.
The Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers work in collaboration with The Sisters of the Good Shepherd which founded La Posadita de Buen Pastor in 1998 by Sr. Victor Mestas, a Good Shepherd Sister.
by Dionel Rodriguez | Aug 10, 2020
Medical and Pastoral Services for Prisoners
Fr. Joe Fedora works to provide medicine to the detained and secretarial services the Chaplain at Peru’s largest prison, San Pedro de Lurigancho, a facility built for 3,300 prisoners that currently holds 10,000, making it the most densely populated prison in the Americas. The aim is to accompany people abandoned by society and, for many, even by family. Established in 1999, the project continues to medical and pastoral care to the forgotten.
Father Joseph Fedora offers counseling, the Sacraments, and medicines to prisoners who are HIV+ and receiving little or no care.
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,* and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28
by Dionel Rodriguez | Jul 30, 2020
Scholarship and Vocation Training for Underprivileged Youth
Fr. John W. Waldrep, M.M.
Unemployment and underemployment are extremely high among the youth of Tanzania. This is a program designed to provide academic scholarships and vocational/professional scholarships to students who would be unable to pursue studies or training without them.
You can help provide academic scholarships and vocational/professional scholarships to students would be unable to pursue their studies or training without your assistance.
“Train the young in the way they should go; even when old, they will not swerve from it.”
Proverbs 22:6
by Dionel Rodriguez | Aug 27, 2020
Ministry for People with Albinism
Fr. John W. Waldrep, M.M.
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Health and Social Welfare
The number of people with Albinism is very high in Tanzania–far more than in many other Sub-Saharan African country. People with Albinism are horribly persecuted in Tanzania. Their skin is thought to have magical properties, so they are killed, dismembered and their body parts used in magic potions. Or, they are killed because people think them cursed and bearers of bad luck. Either way, they’re in an incredibly precarious situation.
Your gift will help protect these people while providing food, medical care, assistance with rent, education, and necessities such as sunblock, umbrellas, sunglasses, and hats.
“Open your mouth in behalf of the mute, and for the rights of the destitute; Open your mouth, judge justly, defend the needy and the poor!”
Proverbs 31:8-9
by Dionel Rodriguez | Jun 12, 2020
Relief and Education for Burmese Refugees at Wat Prok Mon Temple
For more than two decades, Wat Prok School, established by Maryknoll two decades ago, has provided education, skill training as well as clothing, food and medical assistance to 34 and 52 Mon Migrant boys, ranging from six to seventeen years old, living at small Mon Buddhist monastery in Bangkok. The number of students varies primarily due to new students.
The boys parents are migrant workers mostly working in the fish process plant outside of Bangkok or on the fishing boats. The Maryknoll Thailand team members work with the Informal Education Department of the Thai Government to provide basic education to the boys, including Mon, Thai and English language training, some basic grammar school classes and sponsors skill training for the older boys.
Initial emphasis is on teaching the boys the Thai language, which makes them eligible for special temporary ID cards until age 17. The younger is then recognized as having a right to be in the country. It also provides protection against the boys being trafficked, given the extent of the problem of trafficking in Southeast Asia.
by Dionel Rodriguez | Jun 12, 2020
Assistance to Refugees and Migrants
Fr. John Barth, M.M.’s project mainly focuses on Asylum Seekers, Refugees, Prisoners and Victims of Human Trafficking. We work as a team and in collaboration with Caritas-Thailand, Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS), Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees (COERR) and five Catholic parishes in the Archdiocese of Bangkok, as well as close cooperation with the Thai people in our effort to assist these various groups of people in need.
Many people continue to flee their homes, villages and nations for a variety of reasons, mainly Religious and Political persecution. In the city of Bangkok alone, it is estimated that we have over 6,000 illegal Refugees and Asylums Seekers. The people we reach out to are people running from the violence in their homelands and they come from the various countries of Asia and Africa.
Poor living conditions and violence in their homelands have resulted in an increase in refugees into Thailand from Sri Lanka, Pakistan and other countries in the Middle East. Fr. Barth and others take care of their physical needs by providing food, clothing, shelter, medical care and education to refugee families as well as the poor Hill Tribes people in North of Thailand.
These poor people speak little Thai and need medical care, food at times, transportation for their children to and from school. We do our best to protect, feed and help, as we continue to be inspired by Pope Francis, who asks all of us to continue to reach out to the Stranger, the Refugee and the Poor.
by Dionel Rodriguez | Jun 11, 2020
Maryknoll Vocational Training and Livelihood Program in Taichung Diocese
Fr. Joyalito F. Tajonera, M.M.
With your help, Father Joyalito Tajonera, M.M. can expand the Maryknoll Vocational Training and Livelihood Program in Taichung Diocese where he provides vocational training assistance to foreign migrant workers and the new immigrants in the Diocese of Taichung and neighboring dioceses.
Programs such as computer skills training, repairs and assembly, food processing, dressmaking, basic baking, hotel and restaurant management training, are just a few of the programs aimed at helping foreign migrant workers and the new immigrants improve or learn new skills for better employment and better opportunities for their family and future.
