Month: February 2017 Page 1 of 2

This is brief. We are at a pub in Ruai to celebrate with the teachers who have been correcting exams this week. I am finally on wifi but in the middle of a dance! All is wonderful here. I spent all day-8-4 teaching at a nearby school with only 10 min. for lunch. I taught music to the entire student body and they loved it all. The new chapel is very nice but not yet in use. It has been great to have Father Duncan here and the children love him. The meeting Friday was excellent and we talked for 7 hours about every aspect of school life, health and safety, and also have lots of plans and commitments from Chalice. It was so nice to finally meet Mary Anne. I will leave you with this, and see you in another 3 weeks. My love to all of you, Betty Jane

St Charles Lwanga Secondary School is located near Nairobi, Kenya. Its mission is to provide an education and a home for abandoned street children, orphans or those too poor to pay school tuition. Since 2012 Inverness County Cares has been providing support and the necessities of life for these children, as they complete their secondary education. In 2015, ICC joined with Chalice, Canada, to support the school. Together they have provided the school with a more nutritious diet, improved classrooms facilities and better living accommodations. After four full years of support the results are evident. All 43, of the 2016 graduating class passed their exams and three outstanding graduates (see below) have been awarded a prestigious government scholarship to study in a Kenyan university.

Nancy Morena’s mother was a single parent, who struggled daily in the Kibera slum to provide for her family. Now Nancy aspires to be a lawyer and work on human rights issues. She wants to be the voice of the helpless especially those women and girls who are abused.

Martin Mungai was raised by his grandmother and endured abject poverty. He is grateful for the chance to join the public university and plans to study hard and bring help to his community.

Catherine Agufana came from Kibera, the largest slum in Africa. In 2009 her father lost his job when a work accident took one of his hands. Some days the family would go without food. When she graduates, she will work toward helping her community.

Attending University is an unbelievable opportunity for these students. Sadly most St Charles Lwanga graduates are not able to attain any post secondary education, due to lack of money for tuition, unless they receive a scholarship or they acquire a sponsor.

Our website provides the full story on each student see Autobiographies on

https://lwangachildren.com/

https://invernesscountycares.com/

http://chalice.ca/

I arrived safely and was met by a van full of students I knew well, and then was welcomed by others at school. I felt like I was coming home. We are very busy all the time. I have gotten to know the Form 1 children, visited the Compassionate Hands home, traveled to the city twice, and started teaching health and music. We have a new violin, drums, and large piano for the new chapel. I spend a lot of time talking to the children and trying to be a mother figure – just listening and loving them all. I think of you all at home every day. Love Betty Jane.

#1: Fr Duncan MacIsaac, (parish priest Stella Maris, Inverness, Nova Scotia, Canada) member of Inverness County Cares. #2: Br Kennedy- school director, Betty Jane, Florence, unidentified friend and Berend De Boer from Netherlands.

#3:Visitors meeting with students, #4: Betty Jane working with music student

#5: Betty Jane with visitor, #6: Betty Jane, Br Kennedy and Geoffrey discussing music.

#7: Inside new chapel built by St Charles Lwanga Brothers #8: Br Kennedy and Mary Anne MacKinnon in dormitory

#9: Betty Jane at the Compassionate Hands home for special needs children. #10:Seven hour meeting between Chalice, Inverness County Cares and St Charles Lwanga Secondary School administration.

#11: Students in classroom, #12:

#13; Betty Jane with students #14: School tour

#15: Tour of school grounds, water collection tank in background