Marie Adelaide Rescue for at-risk Kenyan girls

Transcription

1 INTERNATIONAL PROJECT PROPOSAL PROJECT 0970 Marie Adelaide Rescue for at-risk Kenyan girls Ewuaso Kedong, Kenya For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble Psalm 27:5

2 We are a Catholic ministry that serves the poorest of the poor internationally by channeling aid through dioceses, parishes and Catholic missionaries, cost-effectively helping the poor break the cycle of poverty while advancing Catholic evangelization. Rather than create new institutions to distribute aid, we support existing ministries and churches already serving the poor. In addition to being the most cost-effective way of helping the poor, empowering these ministries allows us to support the Church s spiritual mission and its important position of leadership in poor communities. We consider every gift we receive as a precious resource from God. We direct every donation to its intended project, provide honest and accurate reports to our donors, and keep overhead costs to an industry low. We handle funds with utmost integrity and hold our ministry partners in the field to the same high standards by asking them to document costs and the impact of their outreach. We invite you to join with us as we seek to transform the lives of the poor materially and spiritually ways that please the Father and glorify him in Heaven and on earth.

3 Project Synopsis Description This project will provide food, shelter, healthcare and education for up to 15 Maasai girls in danger of ritual female genital mutilation (FGM) and early forced marriages. Purpose The Marie Adelaide Girls Rescue Center gives at-risk girls a secure place to live, while saving them from dangerous, traditional rites of passage and helping them continue their education so they will have a larger array of opportunities for the future. Location Ewuaso Kedong, Kenya. Cost $19,800 will cover the rescue center s operational expenses, including staff salaries and food for the girls. Highlights The Maasai people inhabiting southern Kenya are an indigenous tribe with deeply-rooted cultural customs that sometimes conflict with modern human rights. Female genital mutilation (FGM), illegal in Kenya, is still practiced as a rite of passage for young girls in Maasai society. It often precedes the marriage of a very young girl to a much older man. The Marie Adelaide Girls Rescue Center welcomes young Maasai girls who have run away from home in search of refuge from FGM and early marriage. At the center, up to 15 girls, ages 9 to 20, receive food, basic healthcare, spiritual counseling, training in practical skills, extra tutoring and the opportunity to attend a neighboring primary or secondary school. The center is run by the Daughters of the Heart of Mary, who opened the center in 2011 The center receives support from the village chief, who helps identify girls at the greatest risk. The center also reaches out to the community, educating them on human rights, human dignity, gender issues, FGM alternatives, and orienting them on the respect of basic human and Christian values, hoping to bring about cultural change. 1

4 The Need: Futures full of Fear Being a member of the ancient Maasai culture of southern Kenya, twelve-year-old Charity had reason to fear the future. Like many girls before her, she knew she might soon be forced to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM) to mark her passage into adulthood. Soon after, it was also likely her father would arrange for her to marry a much older man. If that future unfolded as she feared, the rest of her life would be consumed building a home, raising many children, milking cattle, gathering firewood, fetching water, and cooking. Charity, like many other young Maasai girls in her area, wanted something different. She felt called to pursue an education and a different kind life, but in order to achieve this dream she knew she would need help. Charity s concerns are not unusual. Even some of the adults and leaders of the Maasai tribe are open to this change, because they recognize that the rights and dignity of women have been violated through FGM and early marriage. In fact, mothers who have gone through FGM now speak out about its dangers and how traumatizing the rite is but they don t know how to overcome the tradition and many still feel a cultural pressure to submit. Once a girl undergoes FGM, she can be personally and physically scarred for a lifetime. The FGM process is also extremely dangerous to the health of young girls since it is not performed by a medical professional and is often performed without anesthetic or sterilization. The girls who undergo the rite can be prone to bacterial infections, life-threatening wounds or the risk of serious diseases such as HIV/AIDS or Hepatitis B. Other long-term effects are susceptibility to kidney failure, serious complications during childbirth and excessive bleeding all of which can lead to anemia or death. Spiritually, FGM can also damage a girl s self-worth. In a meeting on women s issues hosted by the Vatican s Council for Culture, Pope Francis described FGM as a type of degradation that reduce[s] them to mere objects that are bought and sold. As more formal educational opportunities open up to the Maasai, FGM is becoming less common, but the practice still exists, and countless girls, like Charity, are desperate to escape that fate. Unlike her husband and many members of the Maasai community, Charity s mother understands her fear and sees the value in her pursing an education and a different way of life. Having undergone FGM and being married off at an early age, she wants a better life for her daughter. So, in addition to taking on endless household duties, Charity s mother works extra hours to earn money to provide Charity with an education. Eventually, Charity s mother insisted she run away from home to escape FGM and early marriage which loomed nearer. Fortunately, Charity found her way to the Marie Adelaide Girls Rescue Center, a refuge where she and other girls in the same predicament can receive protection, education, food, healthcare, and spiritual counsel. 2

5 The Ministry: Futures full of Hope In the dark of early morning, young Maasai girls show up at the door of the Marie Adelaide Girls Rescue Center, typically with bare feet, worn clothing, and fear in their eyes. Fortunately, their sadness will only be temporary. Though they may not realize it yet, the Daughters of the Heart of Mary have created an oasis of Christ s mercy, hope, and beauty within the arid Kenyan landscape and there is hope for these suffering girls. Once settled in the center, the girls receive a holistic education that empowers them physically and spiritually. The girls first need is for a protective environment, safe from FGM and cultural pressure into early marriage, explained David Adams, VP for Missions with Cross Catholic Outreach. The center offers the girls that safe environment and the emotional security they need. Many girls have expressed how relieved and thankful they are to have reached a place that does not seek to harm them. For example, Evelyn, age 13 said, I thank God for bringing me here. When I was in school I was ready to be out and be circumcised and then I would have been married, but God has saved me here. I thank God that he has brought me this safe place and you and the donors. I pray for you and we appreciate you helping us at the center and we will try our best to work hard. Education is the key to these girls becoming self-confident and strong enough to become eventual leaders in their communities. Their spiritual education is also a key to empowering them to appreciate themselves as gifts of God, made in His image. Once they can accept that truth, they are able to help others to realize the same spiritual potential. Your donation to this Cross Catholic Outreach appeal makes possible the spiritual instruction that accompanies their primary and secondary schooling a blessed and profound combination! When they are not in school, the girls are receiving extra tutoring at the center. They can also attend daily mass, catechism classes and partake in athletic team sports like volleyball. In addition, the sisters also offer training in skills like beadwork, embroidery, bag making, and cooking so the girls can be self-reliant in the future. The center even has a garden where the girls learn to grow kale, papaya, and bananas useful cash crops in that area. These skills help the center earn a small profit and encourage the girls to see themselves as gifted member of the community, capable of earning a living in the future. The girls also learn responsibilities and gain an independent spirit by cleaning their rooms and the dining hall, doing their laundry, cooking their dinners, and tending to the garden. The sisters teach the girls that their input, however small, adds value to the center and blesses the community. The costs to continue these daily, formative activities will all be covered in your donation to this Cross Catholic Outreach appeal. The most important role of the center may be its focus on reconciling runaway daughters with their parents through Christian values that promote love, sharing, forgiveness, prayer, Bible sharing, patience, and humility, David Adams said. Once many of the parents see how the center has nurtured their daughter, they become very thankful. 3

6 Help Now! It is to those who have the most need of us that we ought to show our love more especially St. Francis de Sales The Gospel of Mark tells the story of a woman, compelled by faith. She reaches out to touch the hem of Jesus garment while he is preaching to a crowd, and instead of rebuking her for defiling his clothing, as most men would have at that time, Jesus lifts her up, calls her daughter, and heals her (Mk 5:25-34). Throughout scripture we see Jesus defending the worth of women, even though women of that era were considered inferior by the religious leaders of the time. Today, our Church is called to the new ways Christ revealed. We are to continue lifting women up and spreading Christ s message of love! The Maasai girls at the Marie Adelaide Girls Rescue Center are bright, passionate, and determined to create better lives for themselves, their children, and their communities. By Christ s example, we know He would accept them, lift them up, and defend their dignity to the world. Through the Marie Adelaide Center, we can do the same! When asked what she would like for donors to this Cross Catholic Outreach to know, Charity said, I want to thank them a lot because they have done a lot for my life. I would like to tell them to continue their support so that when I finish school I will help others. Please support Cross Catholic Outreach and its effort to keep the Marie Adelaide Girls Rescue Center open and its important services operating. Its food, shelter, basic healthcare, spiritual instruction and extra tutoring to supplement school studies are an invaluable gift to the Maasai girls of Kenya. Your gift will empower this important mission for the glory of God! Our Promise to You! Proceeds from this campaign will be used to cover any expenditures for this project incurred through June 30, 2018, the close of our ministry s new fiscal year. In the event that more funds are raised than needed to fully fund the project, the excess funds, if any, will be used to meet the most urgent needs of the ministry N. Military Trail Suite 240 PO Box Boca Raton, Florida Copyright Cross Catholic Outreach. Cost-effectively written, designed and printed in-house. [cc1607][udv1706]