HISTORY
Growing Community Roots is the bridge that was created to further the ministry that Sister Rosita Aranita CSJ began in southwest Kenya. Sister Rosita traveled with David, her initial contact from the University of Northwestern, to meet the village leaders and learn more about the culture.
She stayed five months living with the Franciscans of St. Joseph. With the help of Father Ombok she met people, tribal leaders, and parish leaders who shared with her the most pressing needs of their communities. Together they identified thirty six schools in West Karachuonyo of the Rachuonyo District, all of them in need of water and sanitation.
Two CSJ consociates of the St. Paul Province, Anita S. Duckor and Anne Hannahan, along
with Sister Irene O’Neill, CSJ, went to West Kenya to see first-hand the work that Sister
Rosita had started and nurtured. Their visit was the beginning force behind building the
bridge from the United States to the eastern shore of Lake Victoria, Kenya.
Mary Lieta, a CSJ Consociate in Kenya, guided the three to the schools, communities and houses without basic infrastructure of water and sanitation. The visitors also met community leaders and school principals of the Imbo Community Action Program (ICAP), a certified NGO (non-governmental organization) in Kenya that is a partner of Growing Community Roots.
Seeing first-hand the incredible needs of the schools, Anita and Anne returned home and began the process of establishing a nonprofit to raise funds for safe water and sanitation. Growing Community Roots was established and received its non-profit status in 2014. It is an all-volunteer organization.
Our partnership in Western Kenya explicitly demonstrates the CSJ call to respond boldly to the injustices in the world and exemplifies our commitment to work toward dismantling systems of oppression by standing with the poor and the oppressed, especially with women and girls.