Happy Mothers’ Day!

As nature is springing to life across Northeastern Ohio, I can’t help but think of the Tree of Wisdom children who have just finished their first term in school.  Many of these children had never been in school before this February.  The children in Gulu arrived at St. Monica’s to look for Sr. Rosemary so they could show her their reports.  They all worked very hard and got very good marks.  How proud and happy they were to have a chance to learn and show their abilities.  Sr Rosemary also received reports from Atiak and Paidha about the excellent performance of the Tree of Wisdom children.

The stories of the individual children have been amazing.  Some of them we know more about than others.  As we get more information we will add it to the website.

Let me share with you the Story of James R.

James is a 12 year old boy from Atiak, a very poor village about 2 hours north of Gulu which was devastated by the war about ten years ago.  Several years ago James was orphaned as a result of his father killing his mother.  He was living with an uncle who is very poor and unable to send him to school.  In November James was invited to be a part of  the Tree of Wisdom family.

Sr. Rosemary conducted the first Tree of Wisdom meeting in Atiak in November with about 40 orphans and their guardians.  She explained that we would be providing school fees, uniforms, and other basic necessities to the children in the program.  When she was finished, she asked if there were any questions.  Young James stood up and said to her, “Sister, I know that I have worms living in my belly.  What good is an education going to do for me if I die?  I need healthcare.”  He was right–what a wise young man.

On that day James and two other children who were identified to be at health risk were taken to the hospital in Gulu for testing and medical care.   The doctors confirmed James’ suspicions.  He did indeed have worms in his belly. He has since been treated, is healthy and thriving.

Through this experience, Sr Rosemary discovered that James had an amazing aptitude for learning.  Despite his limited education, he spoke English very well.  The decision was made to keep James in Gulu so he could attend a higher quality school.  A few weeks later, an American Jesuit priest arrived at St Monica’s asking Sister if she knew of any children who might benefit from a Jesuit education.  She immediately thought of James.  He met with the priest and explained that he would someday like to be a teacher.  James will be attending the Jesuit school being built in Gulu once they are able to receive students.

Some months later, Sister Rosemary met with James again.  She found him to be excelling in school and adapting very well to his new environment.  He said to her, ” Sister, I think I want to be a priest.  The word of God is sweet to me and I want to share it with other people.”  Needless to say, James is an inspiring young man.  I am humbled to think of the blessings he will share with the people in his future as a result of the opportunity he has been given by Tree of Wisdom.

The generosity of our sponsors will continue to have far reaching benefits for many.  Because of James’ statement about the need for healthcare, TOW has created a contingency fund for children like James who have additional needs that cannot be paid for with the basic sponsorship funds.   The fund is being supported by individual donors and some of the proceeds from the St Monica’s Bead project.  It will allow us to meet the special needs of some of the orphans including healthcare, hospitalization, secondary school tuition, special formulas for malnourished babies, etc.  This allows Tree of Wisdom to  continue to support the children even if they go beyond the funds provided by basic sponsorship.  Thanks to all of you, once again, for your generosity and support.

We can change the world, one child at a time.

God bless you all!

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