BENEFACTORS MEETING UPDATES. 2024

Dear Benefactors,

I would like to personally thank all those who were able to attend the benefactors meeting on 2nd November 2024. Your presence, participation and ideas for the betterment of Don Bosco Missions and the work we do was greatly appreciated. Your contribution added value to the work that we do among the poor street children in our institutions. Those who were not able to make it we still appreciate you and pray that you will be able to attend the next meeting. You still remain in our hearts with gratitude.Here below are the updates on matters discussed.  34 members were present. We started with a word of prayer by Fr. Felice, Fr. Felice, Thanked all the benefactors for the support they have shown to Don Bosco Missions, he then took the benefactors through a short history of the work of Don Bosco Missions and discussed the activities running in various centers within Kenya. Don Bosco is present in Embu, Korr, Bosco Boys, Upper hill, Nzaikoni, Makuyu, Boys Town, DBYES,  Kakuma, Marsabit  and Utume. New centers are in Meru, Kitale and Siaya.  In Sudan Don Bosco is present in Elobeid, Khartoum Parish, Khartoum VTC, Tonj Juba, Kuajok, Wau, Khartoum Parish and Maridi. He pointed out that the beneficiaries were mainly the former street children, refugees, the seminarians and the most  poor and vulnerable. All our funds come from well-wishers whom we refer to as Don Bosco Benefactors.“…this is the work of Don Bosco, Do you like it? Can you join us in it? How can you help?We get donations in form of Money, in-kind donations in form of food and Material. Others come in as volunteers.The running schools need: Fees, Food, water, electricity, maintenance, books, teachers, employees, Salesians upkeep and workshops, furniture, health care, insurances, cars and buses, new buildings. We also incur expenses for our seminarians. We have young people in formation who would like to become our future Salesian priests and brothers. Pre-Novices 13: Novices 10: Students of Philosophy 23: Students of Theology in Utume 16: and Students of Theology abroad 7. Various discussions from Benefactors.There was a proposal that a committee of benefactors be formed, to become pillars of Fr. Felice in order to assist him implement some of the proposed activities. eg following up with church to make announcements, because charity begins at home, and talk to the parish priest to allow missions office to make announcements in the church to create awareness in upper hill. Ms. Angela Munyao went further and offered to personally assist putting a tent at the parish compound on Sundays for the purpose of creating awareness.  This is something we had started but stopped due to various reasons.     Ms. Lucy Nderitu who works with children with disabilities/autism advised us to create awareness even in other Catholic schools and Churches.    Two of our benefactors who were in contact with Fr. Felice while he was in Makuyu attested that  he had done a tremendous work and projects there which changed the lives of many residence of Makuyu.           Rosemary who works in the missions office requested the benefactors to help increase the number of benefactors by creating awareness of our work among their friends, families and at their places of work and requested each benefactor to introduce at least one or two of their friends in order to expand and help meet the financial challenges faced.       There was a suggestion by Mr. Peter Sawe that a WhatsApp group should be formed where the benefactors will share their opinions, received updates, soft copies of the Salesians Bulletins, share stories of beneficiaries and have photos posted on the latest activities that are taking place within the Don Bosco Missions. There was also a suggestion that we should make use of the social media to create awareness of what we are doing through twitter, face book etc.        Ms. Jemima an employee of the missions office requested the benefactors to keep us updated on their latest change of addresses to avoid letters being sent back to us from the post office and share their active email addresses with us for easier and faster communication.        Ms. Mercy Ndungu asked if the Act of 2022 about the Children homes being closed affected Bosco Boys school. Fr. Felice answered that Don Bosco was not affected but mostly the individually owned children homes were, especially where the owners used their orphan’s homes for their selfish purposes.         Ms. Stella thanked the benefactors and narrated that when she went to Korr, she was able to meet and listened to some beneficiaries who benefited from Don Bosco. They thought it was the work of Don Bosco, but we all know their lives were changed because of the Benefactors who support the work of Don Bosco. She also requested that if the committee will be formed, to consider assisting us in organizing a Don Bosco Missions Charity walk, which many agreed to.We were grateful to receive donations of text books from the author and our Benefactor Ms. Brigid Nasimiyu for our children. May the Lord bless her and all the benefactors who sacrificed to share what they have with our needy Children.   …… Special thanks to  Mr. Michael Kisingiu and the benefactors who sent their donations via mpesa. There after we shared a cup of tea.“I love you with all my heart. It is enough for me to know that you are young to love you so much. You bear the treasure of the Lords friendship in your heart. Keeping it, you are exceedingly wealthy. Losing it, you are among the poor and unhappy of the world. May the Lord always be with you and help you to live as his friend.  If you behave like that, I assure you that God will always be happy with you and you will save your soul, the most important thing in life. May God grant you a long and happy life. May, the Lord`s friendship always be your wealth in this life and in eternity”. Don Bosco.

God Bless all Don Bosco Benefactors.

Fr. Felice