The Sisters of Our Lady of Kilimanjaro serve parishes, hospitals, schools and institutions for orphans and needy children with a charism of “Simplicity and Readiness to do the will of God for His glory and for the salvation of humanity.” Their motto is “Do all things for the praise and glory of God and for the salvation of His people.”
The congregation was founded in 1931 in the Diocese of Moshi, Tanzania and has 879 professed members. Their apostolate focuses on holistic evangelization in the spiritual, social, educational and physical realms. They provide these services in several African nations, Italy, England, the Diocese of Columbus and elsewhere in the United States.
Their work includes the care of orphans and children with various disabilities who are in most cases rejected by their families because of high levels of poverty. Their needs include food, education, learning materials, clothing, shelter and health support.
Some live with their grandparents, who can hardly meet their daily basic needs, while others live with their siblings, with older children caring for the young ones. This makes them become house managers at a very tender age and removes them from school if they are not helped. The sisters provide care, shelter, food and educational needs to these children through accommodating them in the orphanages and boarding schools.
Their sincere desire is to maintain existing orphanages and schools and expand or build new ones, especially in rural areas where many poor children have no access to education. The orphanages and schools provide the stepping stones for each child’s career or the road map to their success and to a better future. Through the help of your contributions, the sisters will be able to continue educating needy and orphaned children and enable children with disabilities to become independent, making them useful and productive members of society.
The sisters are most grateful for being allowed to share their mission with you. Your contributions toward this mission will go a long way in assisting and improving the standard of living of needy children and will help to better their future, especially the children with disabilities in Tanzania.