A little help to the sisters of Mathare

Every year the Valter Baldaccini Foundation donates to the Sisters of Mathare. This contribution supports Sister Marilena and her sisters in their daily battle to address the difficulties of the people living in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya. The methods of our support in Mathare vary every year, based on specific needs and level of urgency and recently, Sister Marilena sent us a letter to tell us about the use of this year's contribution:

“Dear friends of the Valter Baldaccini Foundation,

sorry for the long silence, but several overlapping things have happened and I have not yet been able to write after receiving your important donation at the beginning of August, which arrived as a big gift, at the right time!

In fact, on August 21st in the afternoon, around 5pm, a big fire broke out in Mathare, not far from our house. We saw black smoke rising high and around 200 tin houses went up in flames. Most people hadn't returned from work yet, so they lost everything. Sheet metal houses are like paper, and it is not easy to stop the fire with buckets of water. Due to traffic, the firefighters always arrive when the damage is already extensive. The reason for the fire was not understood, but we don’t believe it was arson, so the owners are starting to rebuild. Thanks to your contribution, some families, especially mothers with small children, were able to immediately look for shelter for the night and start receiving necessities such as pots, food, mattresses, clothes, and blankets. Your help has given these mothers some hope.

We are using another part of the donation you sent us to pay for the transport of three brain-damaged children who attend a special school. They don't have to pay school fees, but the problem is transport which is very expensive (equivalent to more than a monthly salary for mothers who work during the day in the Somali neighborhood).

The help we receive from the Foundation which we share with those in need is part of that chain of miracles that tell us how much good there is in the world. Once again a heartfelt thank you to everyone on behalf of the people reached with your help. With gratitude”.

Support for the Mathare nuns and their community was a deeply rooted priority for Valter Baldaccini and today it continues to live on thanks to the generosity of our donors, which allows us to support many projects, such as the remote support project in Kenya and the help project for young mothers of Mathare.

Support the Foundation's solidarity projects with a donation.