Read the full exchange here.
Here follows Sister Bisirat Misgina’s moving letter e-mailed January 8, 2016 in reply to an inquiry of the NCCL Executive Director.
(The letter is slightly edited [with bracketed additions] to clarify Sister’s meanings for native speakers of American English.)
My dear Mr. Gregory,
Thank you for wishing Christmas blessing and all the time of your concerns for the poor.
Yes we need still the helps.
The building of kindergarten we started with the kind [help] of some body who has concern for the poor like yourself, but we are not very sure of this money will able to finish that building or not, because the building materials are very much increasing each day.
We have no fence on the compound open from every side. Not only that, it is sloppy and unfriendly for children. We could to fence and fill it with clean soil to make it better to walk.
We care for many children – 137, but not enough play ground materials also: just four pieces they maybe must fight over when they come out of class room.
We have no furnitures like tables, chairs, and so on, capable for children and teachers.
Time is very much updated. We have no proper office like computers, telephone, photocopier: not for Sister in charge or for teachers. I came back to the Community house [of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in Alitena] to do any office work needful. But even the Community computers are old and very slow to accesses …
If you can help us supply the things expenses over we will be very grateful at school and my Community too. If not possible for you and your office, you can give to that Kindergarten Project and there is another huge needs of the poor: the Girls Hostel which is almost collapsing down. (It is also a big need, so we can send that project report to you, too.)
These are Girls who are orphans and very poor, who have no opportunity to go to school without our help, so we accumulated them with all needs, to bring up them [to be] holistically fit women.
Lastly I also like to share with you a problem for help. Because of the road construction in the town, the clinic of Girls Hostel – the compound fence is not repaired, and all women we are in open and insecure.
I am sorry to explain only what is worse for my Community. It is only to show you that we have a lot of needs. The answer is according to your charity and ability.
Thank you for your concern for the poor. Please greet all your lovely family and cooperators.
With my Love of Jesus and prayers,
Sr. Bisirat Misgena, DC
Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul
Alitena, Ethiopia
Looking East 