Besides our main effort to raise funds to send students to school, we are compelled to reach out and ask for other pressing needs. Our last building effort was completed in 2022: the Little Angels Chapel at the Dorothea Rescue Centre for Girls (see the previous post) and now we are hoping for another worthy project to reach completion. The Morning Star Rescue Centre for Boys in Eldoret is desperately needing updating. Since 1998 it has been operating to rescue and rehabilitate boys from the streets of Eldoret, as well as older young men and women who have received guidance from the ASE Sisters there. It is a “hub” in Eldoret that has done so much to contribute to the community there.

The compound of Morning Star has a dormitory, a building with one main room and a few small rooms used for the Sisters’ office and storing food. Another separate sheet metal building serves as a kitchen. What about hygiene and toileting needs? There is a row of 3 pit toilets, and next door to that, a sheet metal shack for “showering” using plastic basins.

On one side of the compound stands an incomplete building which was put on hold in 2015 - a sign of both poverty and hope. We will focus on the hope! This building is meant to be two stories high and contain classrooms, counseling rooms and office space. So far we have raised $12,000- 25% of the cost to complete this building. We are trusting that there are generous people who will choose to make an excellent investment in the lives of poverty stricken Kenyan children. This building is a place where healing will happen, under the tender care and wisdom of the Assumption Sisters of Eldoret. With a total investment of $50,000 toward this building, countless lives will be given hope and the tools to thrive. At Morning Star, boys are made ready to attend formal schooling and hopefully reunited within a safe family environment. After being picked up from the streets, the Sister s do “home tracing” to find where each boy came from, and determine whether there is family able to adequately meet the needs of the boy. This home tracing also uncovers the needs of the family, and a network may be able to step in to help both the boy and the family. In the cases where it isn’t safe for the boy to return, Morning Star remains home base for the boy. He may be sent to day school or he may be sent to a boarding school. In any case, relationships started at morning Star continue far into the future. Morning Star alumni come back to encourage and to “give back” in appreciation.

The new building will provide space to teach, to counsel and to perform administrative work.

Looking at other critical needs at Morning Star, the Assumption Sisters need a convent to be build on the premises. They must travel across town daily, leaving paid workers on the night shift. Their travel is not the same as ours in the U.S. as they do not own cars. They must hitch a ride on a crowded mini-van or the back of a motorbike for rent. Imagine the difference at Morning Star with a convent on site!

A Chapel is needed at Morning Star Home. Kwetu Home of Peace for Rescued Boys in Nairobi has a Chapel. Dorothea Rescue Centre for Girls in Komorock has a Chapel. The Sisters know from experience that having an onsite Chapel means that the Eucharistic Jesus is onsite and the sacraments can be incorporated into the rehabilitation process. Having Jesus present in the Eucharist offers all the occupants of the Morning Star compound- the Sisters as well as the boys and any visitors, the opportunity to truly heal and gain strength.

For more photos and information on Morning Star Home, please explore the Newsletter tab.

We ask that you consider sharing some of God’s bounty with Morning Star Rescue Centre for Boys. Your donation is tax-deductible through Nyaatha Ray of Hope. You may donate here on the website or send a check to P.O. Box 107 Holt, MI 48842 PLease designate that where you want your funds used: Morning Star Home or school fees.