APPLICATION FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR CONSTRUCTION THE ORPHANAGE
KINDERGARTEN
St. Gertrud Convent Imiliwaha hereby applies for financial assistance to incur construction of the
Orphanage kindergarten at Unewa near by St. Gertrud Imiliwaha Convent.
We are African Benedictine Sisters of Saint Agnes in the Prior of St. Gertrud Convent Imiliwaha
in the diocese of Njombe, Iringa region in Southern part of Tanzania. Njombe district is located in Southern Tanzania, at least 800 kms by road from Dar es Salaam, along the Dar es Salaam – Songea High way. It is 200 kms by air.
African Benedictine Sisters of St. Gertrud is a community of Nuns (Sisters) who are devoted for
prayer and work (ORA ET RABORA) in accordance to the order of St. Benedict. The community is a
branch of the Congregation of African Benedictine Sisters of St. Agnes in Songea Archdiocese in southern Tanzania that was opened in 1968.
The community composed more than 450 sisters and deals with religious activities in different
Catholic parishes in the country. Apart from that, the community based services that cover health,
education, agriculture, technical and the alike. In other words the convent area and outside it has been nucleus for social-economic changes and development for the community.
At the level of community works. St Gertrud sisters have and are working out a member of projects
beneficial to all people regardless of their tribal, religions, racial origin, this includes:
- A Girls Secondary School complex located at the House at Imiliwaha that to date
accommodates and renders 548 pupils.
- At the same convent, sisters have instituted a folk development college that access skilled
crafts to youths to prepare them for self-employment, development and for the national
development.
- The community accesses primary hearth services, printing and wheat processing and
packaging at the same Mother House.
- Following the pressing needs of the problem orphanage children which have been
accelerated by HIV/ADS pandemic, the community has established and manages a centre of
Orphans whose parents have died.
The Centre began working on 19th July 2004. The ideal was regarded from the concrete fact of increasing number of Orphans. At the very start 2004 the Centre received five (5) orphans. The number has been increasing gradually year after year. Today we have fifty eight 58 children.
A. The Goal
Our only Goal is to extend the spirit of Mercy and Love to the Orphans by giving them the human rights as well as we can. Thus are food, clothes, place to live, treatments and education. Due to the increase of the number of Orphans at the Centre from every corner of the Convent and neighbouring District we would like to construct a boarding kindergarten with primary school for them.
B. Efforts made
When we started receiving these Orphans, we had only one building to accommodate them. By the help of some benefactors we managed to build the second and the third in 2008. The two new buildings can accommodate 58 orphans up to the present.
Since the start of Centre, the total number received is fifty eight (58) Orphans. Twelve (12) of them have died mainly from HIV/AIDS got from their parents. Some of them have been taken with their relatives (who are able to offer them education) already to join primary education. The rest have nowhere to go, we are responsible to keep up them. For those who have reached the age of schooling, and have no support from their relatives, the convent does send and support them for government primary school.
Problems
In these achievements, there are some problems concerning our Orphanage Centre. However, we are coming before you for help concerning a financial assistance for building a boarding nursery school of whatever quality and quantity and wish that you can pass to all such other individuals and institutions of good will within your reach whenever you find need to do so.
Sr. M. Clothilde Sanyika OSB
MOTHER SUPERIOR
