May 24, 2024
Greetings from Tanzania. It is my prayer that this email finds you well. We are all fine here.
I am sharing with you some photos of the classroom in Muriet, Arusha and the work of the construction of the boarding house that has just started in Simanjiro. We have been experiencing heavy rains and floods in both Kenya and Tanzania. It has been hard to transport the construction materials to Simanjiro because of the rains and the bad roads! Since the rains have gone down, the work has started and we pray that all goes well.
We are so grateful for all the help that we are receiving from you. This means a lot for our growing mission in East Africa.
Praying for God’s blessings upon you,
Sister Mary Christine, SND
Classrooms For Children in Muriet, Arusha
Boarding House Construction Has Begun in Simanjiro
The Bridges ministry, a ministry of the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Assumption in Lancaster, Ohio, was blessed with a $50,000.00 donation on February 6th, 2024. This generous gift was from the Barbara Renat Trust, in memory of Barbara A. Renat from Lancaster who passed away in 2023. Barbara was a woman of strong faith, noted for her generosity and dedication to St. Mark Catholic Church.
Upon receiving the donation, the Bridges team held a meeting to decide how best to use the funds. They consulted the Sisters of Notre Dame in Tanzania, as they had previous successful collaborations. Through a virtual meeting, they coordinated with SND’s Jen Coito in California, and SND Sr. Cristine Syombua in Tanzania. Sr. Christine highlighted a pressing need in Tanzania: dormitories for boys and girls in the Maasai community in Simanjiro.
Despite the project needing to be executed in stages, Sr. Christine received engineering advice on how to start with the foundation and plumbing, then progress gradually. Sr. Christine believes this generous donation can kickstart the dormitory project, a top priority for the Maasai community.
In respect to Barbara Renat’s memory, a room or building within the project could carry her name. The funds reached Tanzania on April 25, 2024.
The Bridges ministry encourages all to keep the Sisters of Notre Dame and other Catholic missions in their prayers.
