My name is Sister Constansia, a member of the Franciscan Sisters of Saint Bernadette located in the diocese of Rulenge-Ngara, in Tanzania.

We are a diocesan congregation in Rulenge-Ngara in Tanzania.  Our community was founded in 1958 by the late Bishop Alfred Lanctot, a member of the Missionaries of Africa, also known as White Fathers from Canada. Our community currently has 260 members serving mainly in different diioceses in Tanzania.

The Mission is to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and share God’s love in humility and faith, by serving those who are poor and marginalized in society, following St. Bernadette of Lourdes, our Patron Saint, and St. Francis of Assisi. Our main ministries include pastoral and social services, education and healthcare. We take care of orphans, HIV/AIDS patients, the sick in hospitals and homes, care for the lepers, the disabled, widows, widowers.  Some sisters teach in schools.

I am here today to ask for your prayers and financial support for our project: St. Bonaventure Girls’ Secondary Vocational School in Ngara, Tanzania. Our sisters started this initiative after many girls came to our convent seeking refuge from abuse or early forced marriage due to poverty.

Ngara, which borders Rwanda and Burundi, hosts many refugees who fled war and still live in camps. These communities face extreme poverty, food insecurity, poor sanitation, and frequent disease outbreaks due to lack of clean water.

Among the local population, only 4% of girls attend secondary school, mainly because of economic hardship, traditions, and cultural barriers. Most family rely on agricultural subsistence farming and the majority live below the poverty line. Even girls able to access public education face serious challenges. The schools they go to are day schools, requiring girls to walk long distances daily — often putting them at risk of abuse, assault, and violence.

Moved by the urgent needs of these girls and guided by our mission and charism to support the poor in our society, our sisters thought of building a boarding secondary and vocational school. This school will provide education, vocational training, life skills, and a safe environment for girls at risk in Ngara. Though the project is large, our sisters have already begun by making bricks locally with the few resources they raised. The construction will be carried out in four phases, with each phase costing approximately $60,000.

Our sisters have given part of their land for this school and to grow food that will feed the girls when the project is realized. Our sisters also have raised $5,000 over a period of time to help with phase I of this project which consists of 4 classrooms, toilets and bathrooms. One classroom will be used as an office temporarily, and another will be used as a dormitory for girls as we look for funding for phase II. A total of $50,000 is needed to finish phase I of this project.

On behalf of. My community, I kindly ask for your prayers and generous donations to enable us to reach our goal and accomplish this mission, especially the girls in Ngara and the surrounding communities. Please know that no donation is too small to make a difference. We have faith that with your help, we can work together to help these girls fulfill their dreams.

Thank you very much for your support.  May God bless you.