The establishment of the centre was completed in the year 1980 and was inaugurated by then president of the nation Julius K. Nyerere, the Father of the Nation. After the 14 years of its initial establishment and the mission of the centre, it was handed over to the diocese in the year 1982. The diocese was running the centre till 1994 and kept the spirit of its mission and philosophy of giving holistic formation to the laity of the diocese. However the diocese was no longer able to run the centre due to lack of personal and financial situation. Thus it was handed over to Claretians in the year 1994.
The construction of kitchen and refectory with functional facilities will take place in Bakhita primary school, Musoma in Mara Region – Tanzania. Mara region was born shortly after Independence. It was created along with Mwanza and Kagera from what was then Lake Province, so named in honour of Lake Victoria. In land area it is one of Mainland’s smallest regions at 19,566 sq. kms. It comprises a mere 2.2% of Mainland’s land area.
The number of direct beneficiary women will be 605. The number of indirect beneficiaries would be parents and our stake holders.
Main Objective: To provide an environment where pupils, teachers and other staff could dine together in large enough to eat safely and enjoy hygiene food.
Specific objectives
- To bring people together in a large space where they could socialize with others while dining together in refectory.
- To emphasize the unity and cooperation of the school pupils in a period of expansion, and to accommodate an understated hierarchy between pupils, teachers and other staff.
- To improve health care of the pupils who use to attend dispensary at several times due to food poison because they eat dirt food.
- To I increase number of pupils who pass their exams well due to attend at the class all days.
- To provide a safe environment for the continued education of the children of Bakhita nursery school pupils.
- To improve the quality of life by providing a decent and affordable health care to the community through purchasing essential equipment and medicine
Activities:
- Constructions of a decent and spacious kitchen and refectory which will enhance clean and health environment of children to have their meals.
- Furnish the kitchen and refectory
- Plastering of the building in and outside
- Painting of the building
- Fixing the electrical fittings with LED lights to reduce the cost of electricity and installing electrical appliance.
LITURGY
Mk. 10:13-16
13And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” 16Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them.
Reflection:
A drop in the population of children could be an indicator to a looming extinction. More than the hope that children inspire, is the usual heavenly joy they spread around. In the text above, the Greek word that is translated to mean children is used by way of endearment. Unlike the disciples, we are invited to receive them and to further direct them to Christ. Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life (cf. Jn. 14:6), and children must not be denied access to the him. It is responsibility of those in-charge of children to see to it, that children receive integral nourishment for their wholistic wellbeing. More than the imposition of hands on children which the Rabbis also did as a sign of blessing, the warmth of the embrace by the author of all blessings (Jesus Christ), must have filled the hearts of the children (and their parents) with the joy that only him can give.
With a precise reference to the children, Jesus accompanies his action with the following clear statement: to such belongs the Kingdom of God. By these words, he points to something about children that each kingdom seeker must inculcate. Thus, following Christ who opened his arms to children, we can as well receive and bless them by catering for their education, basic needs and bringing them to Christ among other ways. In fact, the Evangelist puts the pericope just after a discourse on divorce, a factor that greatly affects the growth of children. The late Lucky Dube sang about the need to take care of children “… It’s a cold winter, man! moving bare footed down in the street, man! His father is relaxing in the best bar in town asking them to fill his glass, man! His mother is kissing on another man. If you really don’t want no children, why do you have them. If you can’t care for them why…”
Intercessory Prayers:
The embrace with which Christ received children, is a radical invitation to a radical change on our perception of children. He even presents them as role models for us. Sometimes we only look at them in terms of the “future” but in fact by using them as a role model, he invites us to learn from them here and now. Let us seek his Grace to embrace this precious gift to us, the gift of children:
Leader: Lord Jesus, teach us to love and care for the children with all passion.
Response: May we never hinder them from reaching you
Leader: Lord, help us to be humble enough even to learn from the least of your children
Response: May we never hinder them to reach you
Leader: Lord Jesus, give us the grace to lead the young ones to you, by our words and actions.
Response: May we never hinder them to reach you
Leader: Lord Jesus help us to be sensitive to the needs of all children whom we come across daily.
Response: May we never hinder them to reach you
Leader: For the orphaned children, victims of war, natural catastrophes, the disabled and those forced into child labour; Lord Jesus help us to embrace and care for them in any way can.
Response: May we never hinder them to reach you
Let’s Pray
We thank you Lord God for the gift of children. We acknowledge our shortcomings in providing them the wholistic care and love they deserve. Grant us your grace to welcome them with open arms, to bless them by our words and examples and to learn from them the wisdom of the Kingdom. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
