Special Projects
Assistance Where It's Needed Most
In addition to the sponsorship of children, there are several special projects that need attention in order to care for the needs of the children we serve. Click on the links on the right to learn more about our special projects.
Adopt a Nun
CARITAS For Children partners with indigenous groups of men and women religious for all of their programs in all of the locations where we serve. Presently CARITAS is working with men and women religious located in Africa, Poland and the Caribbean.
While it is extremely beneficial to work with Program Partners who are indigenous to the countries where we serve, it also presents a challenge in that these countries provide little opportunity for fund development for the Religious Orders, and therefore they must look outside of their own country for donations to help fund their most basic needs.
One such group is The Little Sisters of St. Francis (LSOSF) who are our program partners in Uganda and Kenya.
The LSOSF are in the communities working among their people, in hospitals, schools, homeless shelters, orphanages, working, as teachers and nurses, propagating their faith through their dedication, compassion and hard work
While the Little sisters are actively involved in their communities, about 60% of them are not yet fully professed as Sisters. Among the concerns of the LSOSF is finding ways to educate more of the sisters who are fully or nearly fully professed sisters in order to be able to increase their ability to serve the needs of their people.
"We need more of our sisters to be formerly educated to take higher level positions empowering them to be hired in hospitals, schools and other social institutions and apostolate of the Little Sisters and their Catholic faith". Says Mother Pauline, Mother General of the Little Sisters of St. Francis.
Providing an opportunity for the LSOSF Sisters to reach a higher level of education both in religious training as well as professional training would allow them to increase their reach and impact on their communities and in doing so would promote their Catholic values and faith. As a teacher, a sister can reach thousands of children in her lifetime. Hundreds of patients in a hospital can be served each year by a single Little Sister properly educated as a nurse or health care professional.
Currently, The order of LSOSF have 6 candidates needing further education in order to better fulfill their community roles as spiritual mentor and professionals.
The cost to educate the sisters at Catholic Universities in their own countries is about $4000 USD per sister. This relatively inexpensive tuition would pay for a full-time, 3 year program at an accredited Catholic University in the sisters' home country.
If you would like to learn more about our "Adopt-A-Nun" program, please call 414-771-7030 x300.
Polish Projects
There are currently four projects in Poland that we undertake which are not directly supported by sponsorships. Your donation to the "Projects in Poland" fund will help us to continue these very important services to the children we serve in Poland.
English Language Program
In Polish public schools, learning a second language begins in the first grade. In most schools this second language is English. The importance of acquiring a second language, particularly English cannot be over emphasized. It is essential for improved job prospects, for entrance into many universities and in general it is an important ingredient to the overall proper education the children must receive in order for them to have a chance at a brighter future.
Typically in the state run schools, the level of English language teaching is poor and children whose parents can afford send them for private English lessons or tutoring., Without additional financial support this is not an option for the children living at the orphanage. Recognizing the importance of learning English, CARITAS For Children established at the orphanage an English Language Program in 2008 which is funded by private sponsors. The program is highly successful and greatly appreciated by the sisters and the children. This program involves an experienced native speaker of English conducting additional English lessons/tutoring at the orphanage for children aged 11-18. The program has resulted in improved English grades at school and an increase in self-confidence for the children. CARITAS would like to continue this program for the next school year, 2011-2012 and additional funding would be necessary in order for it to continue and even expand to include the younger children aged 6-10.
School Books Program
The State does provide funding for the children to attend state run schools however the additional costs of books which normally are paid for by the parents run short of supplying each child with their own set of school books and workbooks. Too often children at the orphanage have to share books particularly in the case of English books because the costs of these books are so much higher. The children's learning suffers due to this lack of proper educational tools which result in poor grades and low achievement.
Summer Holiday Program
Each summer the sisters take the children in the orphanage for a holiday to the seaside or mountains to try and provide them with a sense of "living" away from the very limited living situation they have in Chotomow. There is so much to be said about the value of this type of excursion for the children. This break from their life in the orphanage, a break from the hot summer months in Poland is most important to the children and they eagerly await their summer holiday. The places the sisters take the children offer basic accommodation but they are an important change from their routine and results in a positive long term impact upon the children and the sisters as well! It is psychologically and emotionally beneficial for the children to have this special respite.
Life Skills Program
Life skills are generally those skills that young people will need to survive in everyday life such as money management, hygiene, shopping for groceries, etc. These skills are essential for children who have lived their lives in an orphanage to make a successful transition from orphanage life to life in the outside world. On a limited basis, CARITAS For Children works with the sisters in Chotomow to help prepare the children for life outside the orphanage, however the need to further develop this type of program is critical. So many times, young adults, aged 18-20 leave the orphanage poorly prepared for the word outside. By providing for these young adults, training in self-care, job skills, the basics of financial management etc., they will at be prepared with the minimal psychosocial and interpersonal skills generally considered important to have a proper beginning to their adult life. Additional funding would be useful to further develop this program.
Thanksgiving Dinner Program
Every year Caritas for Children hosts a Thanksgiving dinner at the orphanage. This is truly a special day for the children, providing them with a unique opportunity to share together in a festive meal with unusual foods. Even though the Polish children are participating in a typical American holiday, the sisters and CARITAS take the time to educate the children about the truly important message of Thanksgiving which transcends cultures.
Working with the sisters, CARITAS For Children focuses on the importance of using this day as a time to reflect upon what we have in our lives to be thankful for. It is the gathering together, the sharing together of a meal with friends , family members, where the children learn about caring for others, and they come to understand that even in their lives which often is so difficult, they too have people who care about them. Most importantly they understand that they do have many things in their lives to be thankful for. For orphans, this is an especially moving, and potentially life-changing day.
