By Allison Kozicharow; Edited by Elizabeth Fine
Last month WiRED International asked for your help in donating to the Sister Bernadette Sunshine-Mitzvah Fund. Many people who follow WiRED’s work have generously responded with contributions. We are reminding everyone that we have only a brief time remaining before we need to send the funds to Kenya to allow Sr. Bernadette to negotiate the prices for food to provide holiday meals for the poorest communities in Western Kenya.
This year the U.S. Administration’s elimination of global aid has made life even more desperate for populations in Kenya and other countries in Africa — where people every day face food insecurity and ongoing poverty, extreme weather due to climate change and endemic diseases such as malaria and cholera.
Since 2009 Sr. Bernadette Nealon of KUAP Pandipieri has collected small donations or “lunch money” to ease the hunger of families in Kisumu and rural areas in and around western Kenya. (Watch the video here.)
Sr. Bernadette’s remarkable efforts provide the poorest families with bags of groceries and medicine for the holidays — a time when scarcity is extra painful. She also hands out special Christmas cookies for the children, who rarely receive such a luxury. WiRED’s volunteers witnessed her inspiring work, and for the past 15 years we have let people who might wish to contribute know about her efforts.
Every penny collected goes to Sr. Bernadette, and she spends every penny on the families. Note that $30 feeds a family of five for a week!
Join WiRED in making the holidays a little brighter this year for families in need in western Kenya by giving generously.