Today in St. John the Evangelist Lobur Catholic mission, we witnessed young men and women graduating from agricultural course offered by the Farrows In the Desert (FID) project.

This was the 12th graduation since the programme begun 7 years ago. Bishop Dominic Kimengich, The bishop of Lodwar diocese presided over the ceremony today.

As a result of this project there are 120 farmers all over Turkana County who practice active agriculture. Fr. Alex gave a brief history of the programme and also acknowledged the efforts of Frs. Paco and Albert who were the brain child of this wonderful initiative in partnership with other Israeli organizations.

The new graguates were encouraged to cheerfully go and put the knowledge they have received into practice for the betterment of their respective villages.

Such a programme under the watch and direction from the MCSPA are alternative ways to eradicate hunger in Turkana region since it gives an alternative source of livelihood and food security.

Fr. Joseph Githinji

We were blessed to have the MEDs team from Nairobi visiting our health facility in turkana. MEDs is a faith based organisation that supplies quality medicines in the country.

Members of the team were Dr. Jane Masiga Managing Director MEDS, Shadrack Meme Marketing and Business Development Manager, Meshack Thananga Field Officer. During their visit they also enjoyed the priviledge of visiting the cradle of man kind: the place were the fossile of the homo-erectus or nariokotome boy was discovered. They also visited the lake turkana, the largest permanet desert lake in the world. In addition they also visited some of our patients in the dispensary and at their homes.

Now they are able to testify that the medicines that are purchased from them reach the furthest corners of Kenya. They later faciltated a two days workshop for all the medical staff at the DOL thanks to the medical coodinator Sr. Winne.

We are so grateful by their visit. We give thanks to all the donors who support our health program because it is thanks to them that we are able to purchase medicines from Meds and bring health to the community around Nariokotome.

Lillian Omari – MCSPA

As part of his pastoral visit to the Lake deanery, Bishop Dominic went to St. Phillip Neri, Maisa outstation, where he blessed the chapel and visited the nearby farm initiated by the project “Furrows In the Desert” which is run by the MCSPA from Lobur Mission. He addressed the congregation and urged them to have faith and be prayerful. “It is through faith and prayer that great things are achieved”. The outstation which is under St. Joachim and Anne Kibish Parish is run by members of the Missionary Community of St. Paul (Frs. Alex and Joseph). We pray that the young seeds of faith planted in Maisa will grow into a big tree for all to enjoy! Amen.

Fr. Wycliffe Ochieng MCSPA

Today, 25th May 2019, there was a great celebration at the Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish in Todonyang. The celebration was marked by several events which include; confirmation of 82 people, blessing of Class 8 2019 candidates, and blessing of the newly completed multipurpose hall (dining hall and kitchen inclusive).

Three years ago, we lost one of the elders from the Dassenech community in the school compound, when all were gathered to celebrate ten years since Todonyang mission re-opened and there was peace.

Today we have remembered that all who lost their lives in this border area from both Turkana and Dassenech communities. We pray that peace will prevail in this corridor and all who pass by Our Lady Queen of Peace School, will be ambassadors of peace wherever they go.

In his homily and speech, Bishop Dominic called all to be peace ambassadors.

Todonyang Integrated Centres was the best in Turkana North in last year’s KCPE exams. We thank all MCSPA members who previously worked in Todonyang and the current ones in the persons of Frs. Andrew and Wycliffe. We also thank the mission staff for making Todonyang what it is today. God bless you all!

Lillian Omari – MCSPA

Missionaries from Kokuselei and Teachers from the public and private pre-primary and primary schools of Riokomor and Kokuselei enjoyed recently an exposure trip to Our Lady Queen of Peace Integrated Centre in Todonyang. They learned from the educational work that both teachers and children are carrying out at the border. Especially the dedication and commitment they put.

We thank the entire team of teachers from the mission school and our MCSPA missionaries in this place for their warm welcome.

There are many teachers with a lot of talent teaching in Turkana, who contribute a great deal to improve the situation of the vulnerable children where they work. We hope to continue sharing more experiences such as this to grow together and make quality education possible in Turkana.

Diana Trompetero, MCSPA

From 8th-10th May 2019, the directors and heads of all Catholic schools under the Diocese of Lodwar underwent training on leadership skills at St. Teresa’s Center in Lodwar. The workshop was organized by the Missionary Community of Saint Paul the Apostle in collaboration with Strathmore University, on behalf of the Diocese of Lodwar. The sessions were conducted by a group of facilitators from Strathmore University in Nairobi. The key area that were looked at were:

a) Leadership and what it entails.
b) Catholic schools identity.
c) Mission and Vision in our schools.
d) Teaching, learning and assessment.

These key areas were looked into for the three days of the training by different facilitators, Fr. Steven Ochieng being one of them.

The last day of the workshop was graced by His Lordship Bishop Dominic Kimengich, who urged the directors and teachers to focus on the mission and vision of the Catholic private schools in the diocese for the betterment of the Diocese and Turkana county at large.

Fr. Andrew Yakulula MCSPA

Over the weekend we went on pastoral visitation to the villages around Dingimo, in Ave Maria Parish, in Tombura-Yambio Catholic Diocese, South Sudan.

Some in the group thought it was good to carry food if we were to spend the whole weekend. However, some of us knew better by experience that people would feed us and we would not be able even to finish all the food! Indeed, in every village we went people expected us to eat.

We were six in the party and they had arranged for us to sleep in the headmasters office in the Dingimo Primary School. In the afternoon we had a meeting with the school committee in the presence of the Sultan (chief). Then, towards the evening people started arriving with their sleeping mats. This is because, once the priest comes, people have to leave their houses in order to spend the night with us in the school and pray the Rosary together. We started with the Rosary at 9 pm, after supper, and it went on until almost 10:30 pm!

During this weekend we had baptisms in several villages, First Holy Communion and a Wedding.

People in Dingimo show that their Faith is Alive, since God is always with us in everyday life.

Fr. Avelino Bassols MCSPA

The children and families of Riokomor community celebrated on April 29th the blessing of their new preschool, St. Teresa’s Mother and Child Center.

This educational center is one step forward in a long journey of hope. This was already started by our founder the late Fr. Paco Andreo and the Missionary Community of St. Paul in this area of Northern Turkana many years ago. For this reason, the members of our community thanks those who, for almost twenty years, have accompanied the families of Riokomor in improving their living conditions through water infrastructures, health care, nutritional care of the young ones, the support of primary education, and all those initiatives that have allowed us to bring the Good News in this place.

Thanks to all this and to Sta. Teresa’s Mother and Child Center, the youngest children will be able to consolidate the foundations of a more dignified life for all their families. We thank our benefactors and friends who are making a better future possible for all of them.

Diana Trompetero, MCSPA

The children and families of Riokomor community celebrated on April 29th the blessing of their new preschool, St. Teresa’s Mother and Child Center.

This educational center is one step forward in a long journey of hope. This was already started by our founder the late Fr. Paco Andreo and the Missionary Community of St. Paul in this area of Northern Turkana many years ago. For this reason, the members of our community thanks those who, for almost twenty years, have accompanied the families of Riokomor in improving their living conditions through water infrastructures, health care, nutritional care of the young ones, the support of primary education, and all those initiatives that have allowed us to bring the Good News in this place.

Thanks to all this and to Sta. Teresa’s Mother and Child Center, the youngest children will be able to consolidate the foundations of a more dignified life for all their families. We thank our benefactors and friends who are making a better future possible for all of them.

Diana Trompetero, MCSPA