Sisters build support for new medical clinic

April 17, 2024

Through the generosity of Iowans, a new medical clinic in Kenya is under construction.

The land was blessed and ground was broken this past Jan. 2 in rural Tunyai, Kenya, where the Nazareth Sisters of the Annunciation serve the poor who come needing medical assistance.

The current open-air clinic – where patients are seen outside, with no place to store supplies, and rain forces the clinic to close -- will be replaced by the new medical clinic building.

The construction is the fruit of long and hard work of a group assisting three Nazareth Sisters living in Des Moines, who moved to central Iowa about 10 years ago to earn and raise funds that they send back home to support their order’s work in Africa. Sisters Rosalia Njura, Joan Clare Njoroka, and Joan Susan Mwende work at MercyOne Medical Center in Des Moines and are members of St. Pius X Church in Urbandale.

Fundraising for the new clinic began in 2021 and a little more than $75,000 toward the goal of $150,000 has been raised. About $60,000 was needed to build the new medical clinic. The additional funds are needed for furnishings, medical equipment and supplies, water access for the clinic, and transportation to deliver supplies and to transport very sick patients to the nearest hospital 15 miles away.

There will be an open house on Thursday, April 25 at 7 p.m. at St. Pius X Church in Urbandale in the Martha and Mary Room. All are invited! Attendees will meet the three sisters living in Des Moines and learn the latest news on the building of the clinic.

The Nazareth Sisters of the Annunciation-USA 501(c)(3) nonprofit was established for those who want to offer financial support. Support can also be given through the Catholic Foundation of Southwest Iowa.  For more information, contact Steve Craig at mbcraig1@msn.com or visit www.nazarethsisters.com/.