Red
Rhino Orphanage Project Helps Children in
Nairobi, Kenya
There are currently
thousands of children who live in Nairobi, Kenya,
not in houses or apartments or even slum shacks, but
entirely on the streets. The best estimates are
between fi fty and sixty thousand street children.
They are resourceful and smart, yet continually
exploited and almost always doomed. Greg Traverso,
class of 1979, and his wife Susan purchased five
acres of land about forty-five minutes outside of
Nairobi, for the purpose of establishing the Red
Rhino Orphanage Project (RROP). It will be home to
some of the street kids of Nairobi, and other
orphaned children in similar circumstances. The
property on which the home will be built contains
both room and provision for the children to grow
physically, emotionally and spiritually. The
property is adjacent to a Catholic Church. The
children will grow a good deal of their own food and
reestablish a personal connection with their land.
David Saunders, class of 1968, an English teacher at
Saint Mary’s from 1988 to 2001, is currently living
in Africa close to the site. David is working there
as the Project Director in collaboration with Greg
Traverso, our Dean of Students and Moderator of the
International Outreach Club, to oversee the
construction and staffi ng of the children’s home.
Members of the SM International Outreach Club are
actively involved in the design and other elements
of the project. To take a closer look at the
project, go to the web site found below and click on
David’s Journal link for a firsthand account of
David’s humorous and at times heartbreaking
experiences. If you would like to contact David
personally, please feel free. Charbel Semaan, class
of 2000, is the web site designer and provides
technical support for the
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