KE 23 - REPLACEMENT OF THE POSTULANCY ROOF
Project Location
The Comboni Missionary Sisters’ Postulancy is located about sixteen (16) Kms from Nairobi City. The purpose of the house is the preparation of young women, through studies and lifestyle, to become Comboni Missionary Sisters. As consecrated women for mission ad gentes, Comboni Missionary Sisters dedicate their lives to serving the poor and those living in the margins of society, with little or no access to development, education, health as well as to Peace and Justice.
In the footsteps of their Founder, St. Daniel Comboni, they seek to empower such people through formal and informal education, equipping them with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes to become the protagonists of their own history. As a result, helping them become agents of change they intend in society.
To continue this noble task, it is crucial that young women undergo training and formation to instill in them the spirit, the attitudes and the passion that animated the Institute’s founder, St. Daniel Comboni. In essence, this house of formation (Postulancy) is an indispensable part of the missionary work the Comboni Missionary Sisters do around the world. Since its inception, the Postulancy in Kenya has witnessed the preparation of many Missionary Sisters who are now serving in the hard-to-reach parts of the world.
Project description
Having been built about 42 years ago, the house still bears a good look. This condition is due to a continuous effort to maintain the building. Notwithstanding the efforts, over the years, weather elements have gradually damaged the roof, causing it to have multiple leakages as shown in the photographs provided.
An assessment of the roof has revealed the following:
- worn out roof structure
- cracks in the existing roof clay tiles
- the setting of the roof structure on the low side of the building is so flat that rain water collects and remains stagnant, subsequently sipping through to the ceiling.
Given the above status of the roof, attempts to repair portions where there are leakages have been unsuccessful; hence, the situation has been going from bad to worse. In a house such as this one, where learning goes on, leaking roof has been interfering with the learning/teaching activities, because often times the postulants have had to abandon the leaking classroom.
Moreover, there are not any other available common rooms where teaching/learning activity could be conducted. In addition, the leakage has been:
- a cause of damage not only to the ceiling but also to the furniture and the equipment in the house
- a source of distress because sometimes individuals have had to get up in the night to move beds away from the dripping water
- a disruption to the smooth running of daily activities
Objective
- Restore the roof of the International Postulancy House of the Comboni Missionary Sisters, thus ensuring a safe, welcoming and functional environment for the formation of future missionaries.
Beneficiaries
Direct: 7 postulants from Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique (the number varies every year based on vocations) and 4 Comboni Missionary Sisters who live in the house and accompany the path of discernment and formation
Indirect: the society in general, particularly the marginalized people whom the Comboni Missionary Sisters are dedicated to empowering; the congregation of the Comboni Missionary Sisters whose missions rely on the postulancy for continuity
Referent sister of the project: Sr. Anna Magdalena Kozuszek
Project's costs