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ICC Receives Sad News from Kenya

Inverness County Cares (ICC) has been supporting St. Charles Lwanga School in Kenya for four years. The school was founded by Brother Kennedy Oronjo, who is a 2012 graduate of the Coady International Institute in Antigonish. The students are mostly orphans, street children or from very poor families, and their only hope of breaking the cycle of poverty is education. Many of the students struggle against great odds in their personal lives.

ICC received some very sad news from Kenya in late September.  Sharon Awuor, a seventeen year old female student, had passed away. She was a very bright student in Form 3 [Grade 11] at the St. Charles Lwanga Secondary School in Ruai, Kenya.  Sharon was an orphaned student at the school who lived her life being HIV Positive.  She was diagnosed with meningitis about a month before her death. She was committed to hospital and lived out the rest of her life there.  Sharon’s mother and father had both passed away at a very young age, leaving her older sister to look after the family. Below is a moving tribute written by Daisey, one of Sharon’s best friends at the school.

Tribute to Sharon “Sharon was a sister and friend to all of us, very hardworking and always appeared among the top students as she was very bright, intelligent and very active.  She was a great debater and member of our journalism club. She started the journalism club which turned out to be the biggest club in our school. Her biggest dream was to be a lawyer and fight for human rights. To make her dreams come true, we should all work hard especially those who want to become lawyers as she did. When we went to visit her at Nazareth Hospital she mentioned Brother Kennedy and said she wanted to be with him. At Nairobi, she said, “When I will be with Brother, I will be okay”.  She loved to stay at school, as it was her home. The days we had, the memories we shared, the moments we enjoyed together, the affection she showed towards us will forever stick in our minds. So will the restless days and sleepless nights we spent together and the sorrows we shared. Up to now we can’t believe that you walked away from our lives. You are lying before us too breathless to argue. We will miss every part of you and treasure all the time we spent together. We are mourning your solemn dignity. May your soul rest in eternal peace. Amen. R.I.P Our dear Sharon.”

This September ICC is working on the 2016-17 fundraising campaign to support the education of the 280 students at St. Charles Lwanga School for the coming academic year. Many of the students deal with similar life situations and circumstances as their friend, Sharon Awuor.

Thanks from Inverness County Cares

Inverness County Cares [ICC] wishes to thank all those that have been so generous in providing funding to help us meet our fundraising goal of $60,000.00. The heartfelt community support to meet this milestone is so much appreciated both here and in Kenya!

ICC and Chalice have just entered year two of our partnership to provide funding for the St. Charles Lwanga School near Nariobi Kenya! There are now 280 students at the school from Form 1 to Form 4 [grade 9 to 12]. When ICC first became involved with the school in 2012 there were 100 students. As the student population grew, so did our financial contribution.

The budget this year is $120,500.00 where each of the two partner providing $60,250.00. The budget for year one, which went from September to September 2015-2016, was $133,500.00 and provided a much improved food supply from the maize [ground corn] and beans that had been the daily staple since the school opened in 2010. Other improvements were regular pumping of latrines, clothing for students, a doctor at the school on a daily basis, salaries for some of the staff, a new van to transport students, bedding, more books and stationary.

Six people with ICC connections visited the school this year at their own expense. Betty Jane Cameron of West Mabou spent one month living at the school while teaching music to the students, she enjoyed the students so much she hopes to return to the school this winter. Kathleen Moran and Chris Cairns of Judique both pharmacists, plan to assist with medical supplies for the school. Coleen, Nora, and Linda Mac Leod of Shore Road in Judique spent a week with the students teaching computer skills. All were really impressed with the students and really enjoyed their time with them!

ICC hopes to provide regular updates in this paper to keep people informed on what is happening at the school, as well as how your donations are being used. We invite you to also check out our website, which is updated on a regular basis. www.lwangachildren.com

Originally posted  06/30/2016

We are grateful to have our work recognized and commended in the Nova Scotia Legislature.