You do not decide to volunteer on a mission, you are in a circumstance where instead of choosing you are often chosen. No matter where and how you operate, there are no earthly and mental boundaries.. You go where the heart leads, without thinking if it is better to help in one place than in another. A volunteer is everywhere and there should be no distinction  where to be.

In November I went with some members of our mission to Africa, in Mida.

We have been greeted with great warmth, affection and gratitude for all that we are doing.

Happy children with their bowl of rice in the canteen, the moved looks of the mothers grateful for the opportunity we give to their children. The institutions pleased with our great efforts to make school better.

Given my different role, compared to the past, I also spent a lot of time managing bureaucratic and administrative matters. I had several meetings with the parents of the school, and together with the Diocese we decided to exchange the car we had purchased in the past with a small bus, which will allow children, especially the youngest ones, not to have to travel kilometers every day to go to school.

The meeting with the school principal allowed us, however, to organize Italian language and music courses, which will start in the new year, held by our volunteer Bruno, former university professor. This project will greatly promote school and help these children have many more job opportunities in the future.

We were also welcomed by the Vicar General of the Diocese of Malindi, who proved extremely satisfied and pleased with our way of managing the mission, in some cases even surprised by our ability to collaborate with the population and the diocese. We believe that to work well we need a compact and cohesive team addressed to the same purpose.

Administrative issues did not, however, stop us from going into the village to meet people. It has been more than a year since my last visit, but time seems not to have passed. The same smiles, the same hugs, the children who scream your name running on the dusty streets. So we got in touch with about 50 families who, exposing their difficulties, asked us to help their children in school.

Our aim is to give them the opportunity to evolve with respect to their families of origin, improving nutrition and school health.

To do this we always need the help and good heart of many.

Anyone wishing information, please contact us...

Barbara