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Lenten Message from Father Raphael Kishare

Many of you have heard that the President and his opposition have reached an agreement that will allow them to share power and, hopefully, will bring Kenya back to a situation of peace. We thank you all for your prayers. We pray that you continue to pray now especially for all of those who lost family and their homes during the clashes. Our country must begin to heal and those of differing tribes must learn to live and work together.

Back at their homes, many of our kids were kept from going to school because their families needed them at home to do work like babysitting brothers and sisters, working in the field, doing housework or even doing day labor. Even though primary school has no fees, many families cannot afford for their kids to not work. Families depend on the money that the kids make in order to help pay for the needs of the family.

When a child is brought to OLPHEC, the generous donations of that child's sponsor allows for all of the costs for that child to be covered. Because the family has one less mouth to feed, one less body to clothe and no concern of that child's health needs anymore, they can afford for the child to not work. This is why it is so neccessary that OLPHEC take care of not only our kids' education needs, but all of their other needs as well.

Even though OLPHEC allows kids to go to school instead of having to work, we work to help them remember that they still have responsibilities. When they feel responsible for what happens at OLPHEC, they know that the Center is theirs - that they are the ones who own the Center and must care for it.

One responsibility is with the chickens. My sister gave close to 100 chickens to the Center that produce all of the eggs that the kids eat. Certain kids are given tasks to take care of the chickens and collect the eggs so that nothing is wasted.

All of the children are all responsible for helping keep the Center clean. After classes, they wash the corridors and dining hall. Some are given the job of helping clean dishes or wipe off tables. On the weekends, they must wash their clothes and sheets by hand and the older kids help the younger ones with theirs.

All of these responsibilities help the kids to take responsibility for themselves and for the Center. It helps to remind these kids of how lucky they are to have the opportunity to be here and that they must work hard and not take the opportunity for granted.