Notre Dame Children's Outreach Program
Orphans are the apple of God’s eye and with them we are always sure of his blessing.
Blessed Theresa Gerhardinger Letter #4620
Nyalienga, Kenya –Notre Dame Children’s Outreach Program (NDCO) is one of the sponsored projects of the School Sisters of Notre Dame in the province of Africa. The Children’s Outreach Program began in Nyalieng’a Parish in the Homa Bay Diocese of Kenya in September 2009. SSND selected 34 of the neediest families in the area with 119 children of different ages most of whom are orphans due to their parents’ deaths of HIV/AIDS.
With the program, sisters envision a society in which human dignity is upheld as they work towards developing sustainable systems that support holistic development of persons.
The goal of the NDCO Program is to improve accessibility to quality education, health care, psychosocial, spiritual support systems, and economic sustainability.
Few children who were not taken care of well by their guardians were living with the sisters in temporarily erected structures. These children are mentored and tutored by sisters, staff, and volunteers on Christian Religious Education, singing, English and Kiswahili languages. The sisters also provide them with learning materials such as books, writing materials, school uniforms and other materials. Over the weekend, the children watch educative movies, dance, play music and games. They wash their clothes, clean their temporarily erected dormitories, and help to water their vegetable garden. Each day begins with mass at the church (a 10 minute walk away) before they leave for school on weekdays. Some of the kids participate in liturgical dance and are members of the choir. This helps them boost their self-esteem.
Currently, due to corona virus restrictions and lack housing facilities, all the children have been placed in boarding schools. The sisters and staff pay regular visit to them in their various schools to check on how they are doing.
The sisters support the girls in upper primary schools through secondary school to ward off early marriages and to better equip them for life and possible further education. The sisters, other staff and volunteers perform varied roles of social workers, house mums, youth minister, etc.
The program also provides cross cultural experiences through the presence of volunteers from other countries and continents. This is usually an enriching time for both the non-indigenous volunteer and the children.
The NDCO Program has already supported more than 500 children to get good education and health support to have a better life in the future. Presently, there 142 students in the program.
We appreciate and encourage you all to continue to support us with your prayers, donations, and love.