SHARE Africa

29 of our 231 SHARE sponsored orphans graduated from high school in November 2011. This is truly a great accomplishment. These children would not have been able to receive decent primary education and now they are high school graduates. This would not have been possible without the generosity of our sponsors, whose support pays for school fees, school uniforms, food, health care, and other necessities for these children. After graduating from secondary school, these children also graduate from the SHARE Orphan Sponsorship program (SOS). Many of these children were a part of SOS for over 10 years (from 1st grade to graduation) and many were supported by the same sponsor over that time span, developing long lasting connections.

Karibou=Welcome. The generosity and caring of the SHARE staff could not have been more welcoming and loving from the moment we landed in Kisumu. Ken is the finest driver I have ever seen. He would do great on the streets of NYC as he navigated the roads of Kenya. And Alphonse, Lucy and Cyprina could not have been more wonderful. We laughed and bounced our way from Kisimu toMbita and all of the way to Orore, where Brother Alphonse had a wonderful lunch awaiting us at the end of our trip.

December 28, 2011 was the start of something great. Sharami and I met with SHARE to discuss the bereavement project for the orphans. The Kenyan teachers and principals were asking how they could better deal with grieving children and Sharami and I were asked to help. It was decided that Sharami, the Healing Hearts Coordinator, and myself, the director of counseling (both employed by United Hospice of Rockland) and Jeff, a pediatrician would be traveling to Mbita, a remote village in Kenya sometime in March, just before the rainy season.