Orthodox Africa: Father Mwangi’s Orphanage Needs Your Support and Prayers

August 2015

Dear All

We credit Ekaterina Zagulyaeva, Christian Orthodox journalist from Moscow, Russia for exposing the needs of the Kenyan orphans & the unselfish work performed by Father Mark Mwangi & his wife Presbytera Alice Mwangi, in identifying & assisting orphaned children in obtaining shelter, healthcare needs, nutrition,  education & fulfilling their spiritual needs.

Below is a link to the beautifully illustrated article she published, December 11, 2014.  In addition, below we have also posted photos of Ekaterina’s visit to Father Mark Mwangi’s Orphanage.

 Africa Father Mwangi’s Orphanage

Through Facebook,  the needs of the Kenyan orphans  came to the awareness of Timothy Farrell,  the charity organizer of the Saint Philothea Project.

Saint Philothea Project (Facebook)

Timothy expanded his aid in assisting Romanian orphans, with a mission trip which included a visit to Illasit, Kenya. We are asking those who can help, to please make a donation to the Saint Philothea Project.

Father Mark Mwangi serves three churches in the area. He is the only priest. He serves these humble churches made of corrugated metal, which have neither water nor electricity. Father’s primary means of transportation is a 100 cc motorcycle,  although he has also walked on foot over two hours each way carrying his vestments, to perform church service!  A four hour trip on foot, to serve the parishioners of his community, on any given day.

There is no established orphanage,  per se. Children are taken in by elders or stay in homes once occupied by their now deceased parents. There are 20 houses in all, attending to the need of 60 children.  Father Mark Mwangi & his wife visit them once a month.  There is no water or electricity in these homes either. Children often times sleep on dirt floors,  three of them sharing a single blanket.  When it rains it is not uncommoon for the wall to allow the rain inside the house.  It is not an easy situation.

They cannot afford to go to school,  so they continue to live a life of poverty.  Many work in the fields to make a living.

The good news is, that education in Kenya is free. However,  these children cannot afford to pay for a school uniform & the textbooks required to attend.  A uniform for elementary school is $60. The cost to attend highschool per year is $250. At the present time,  there are 50 elementary school children & 10 high school children.  Our first goal is to raise $6,000 to place all these kids in school.  School in Kenya starts each January!  This is a reasonably obtainable goal, that with your generosity,  can change the life of a child who has lost so much & has so little.

Together,  Father Mark & his wife see to the needs of all the orphans & the people of his village.  Presbytera Alice, who has taken a course through a local hospital, sees to their health needs. She educates them about HIV & AIDS as well as ways to prevent the spread of disease.  She has been doing this since 2004.

Free treatment drugs are the only assistance the government offers. This requires a trip to the local hospital,  to which many have no means of getting to.  Father also has a special arrangement with the hospital, allowing him to keep & distribute medications from his home. They do all this, in addition to raising four children of their own & on a very limited salary.

Being able to afford better transportation such as a small car would be a huge assistance to Father Mark & Presbytera. This would allow them to reach people in need faster, freeing up his time to give more aid, instead of time spent walking.  It would allow him to transport those in need to local hospitals & to distribute goods.  Our second goal, is to help Father Mark afford a small vehicle to be able to attend to needs of the three churches he serves & to provide aid to the orphans.  

Many cannot afford to pay for hospital treatments,  so Father Mark schedules medical clinics four times a year in the village. It costs $90 to organize these clinics & they treat upwards of 175 people,  many outside of Father Mark’s parish. Ideally he would like to schedule one medical clinic a month.  Our third goal is to raise an additional  $1,100 to assist Father Mark in scheduling one medical clinic per month.   With your help,  it could be possible!

I, Anastasia Poulos am just an ordinary citizen of Christ’s Orthodox church. I met Presbytera Alice through an Orthodox group on Facebook. We bonded because I come from parents who also serve the Lord. We chatted for months & Presbytera never once shared with me her dire need. She never once asked for ANYTHING!  It wasn’t until I stumbled upon Ekaterina’s article, that I realized what a gift this couple is to their community.  It pulled at my heart and I wept. I prayed to God to show me a way in which I could be of assistance.  One of the best gifts we can give, is our time & skills. It is something I gave up freely, in putting together this fundraiser site.  I pray that God will guide us in doing good.  Through HIS LOVE and your generosity,  all things are possible.

My ultimate long term goal for these needy children is to raise enough funds to build a proper,  strong & warm shelter/orphanage, where they can take comfort in; a safe place they can lay their heads & call home.  In the mean time, their needs are great. They need beds, blankets, school supplies, food & medical care.  Any excess funds will be used to provide these basic needs.

Please take a moment to read the article to see more of the great work that Father Mark Mwangi & his wife do to help the people of their community. They are a spiritual resource, teachers, healers & caregivers to those in their village and beyond.  We invite you to join them in their labor of love,  assisting them in fulfilling the needs of these beautiful souls, brothers & sisters in Christ.

Timothy Farrell through his philanthropic organization,  Saint Philothea Project,  will be collecting contributions & organizing mission trips,  both to Kenya & to Romania to assist with the needs of orphans & widows in both areas.

Those who wish to contribute items for our cause,  please contact him to arrange for shipment.

pilgrimtim@yahoo.com

In final thought, we all have something we can give to help others.  Please give.  The cost of a Starbucks Coffee,  a Happy Meal etc. might seem insignificant to you,  but $5 in Africa can provide each child 1 kilogram of rice, 1 kilogram of corn meal and 1 kilogram of Vegetable lard!  Staples that are commonly used to keep the hunger pains at bay.

We THANK YOU for your love & support.

You can also HELP OUR CAUSE BY SHARING OUR PAGE  with others. 

We look forward to growing with you.  Pictures of our progress will be shared.   Come join us in our journey

Sincerely,

Anastasia Poulos,
Timothy Farrell & Saint Philothea Project,
Ekaterina Zagulyaeva,
Presbytera Alice Mwangi &
Father Mark Mwangi.

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