During my first experience with ASEC in Tanzania in 2017, I visited the Orphanage Centre of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters - Mgolole (CICM) to visit and collect impact data on SLDI alumnae who worked there. It was transformative to witness the care the sisters had for the children who called the orphanage home. Although their resources were limited, the love the sisters had for the children and the love the children had for the sisters was evident in their every exchange. In January 2024, I visited the Orphanage Centre again. After 7 years, it was amazing to observe the recent transformation of the Centre.
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The CICM has seen great transformation since 2017 including an improved courtyard.
The crumbling red brick facade was replaced, the roof was repaired, a dirt courtyard was paved, the light was brought to the surroundings with hopeful murals, a newly constructed borehole made water accessible to the community, and a security gate now kept the Orphanage Centre safe from robbers who previously stole food and supplies from the compound. These improvements were made possible by an African Sisters: Leaders in Action (ASLA) grant awarded to an SLDI Alumna from the National Catholic Community Foundation (NCCF). ASLA grants are awarded by NCCF exclusively to ASEC alumnae projects in a collaborative effort between NCCF and ASEC. The CICM sisters expressed profound gratitude to NCCF for the ASLA grant because the funds facilitated an improved quality of life for the children at the orphanage. Often, we think of an orphanage as a sad place. Certainly, there is heartbreak at the Orphanage Centre in Mgolole but it is encompassed by beauty and love exemplified by the CICM sisters.
