Bags full of books and hearts full of hope

Children carry a lot of fresh knowledge in their minds. For everything else they have to carry, it helps to have a sturdy, reliable backpack.  

A good day at school starts at home. When children arrive at school prepared to learn, it shows in their grades.  Sr. Janefrances and her team at the Mombasa site in Kenya know this, and they wanted to make sure every student had equal access to the material they needed 

“Most of our sponsored children used to carry their schoolbooks and other stationery in torn paper bags,” Sr. Janefrances says, “or simply didn’t have any place to carry their school items. This resulted in many of them losing schoolbooks and pens on their way.” These children have limited materials, and they cannot afford to lose what they have. 

Thanks to everyone who gave the gift of bookbags through our Gift Catalogue, The Mombasa team made sure everyone arrives at school with everything they started with. 

“We bought school bags for 200 school going children who were severely affected,” she says. “Today they are very happy to have secure, safe, and spacious school bags.” Our Mombasa students can carry their materials to and from school without the risk of losing what they need to complete their schoolwork. 

For mature female students, another pressing issue was sanitary towels. When girls cannot afford menstrual hygiene products, they often choose to stay home. This can mean missing a week of classes every month, resulting in our female students falling behind on their work.  

“We bought sanitary towels for all teens sponsored girls,” Sr. Janefrances says, also with the support of gift catalogue donors. “They were overjoyed.” 

Sr. Janefrances notice that there was heavy wear and tear on some of the children’s shoes, some students needed a replacement. It is likely to occur with walking distances each day. The students received new school shoes and it has made all the difference! 

“I wish to sincerely thank you for the amazing generous support of the gift catalogue that you blessed our sponsored families and community,” says Sr. Janefrances. 

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