Missionary Benedictine Sisters

Peramiho, TANZANIA, East Africa

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St. Anna's Infant Orphanage, Uwemba

Care of the orphans started when the sisters arrived in Uwemba in 1936, when they cared for one or two orphans.  However in the 1990s the number or orphans grew due to the HIV/AIDS virus and the need for expanded services became clear.  A new building was erected to house up to twenty infants at a time.

Our St. Anna’s Orphanage was officially opened and blessed on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, 8 December 1999.  At this time four little ones who were orphaned at birth or shortly thereafter were welcomed as our first gifts from God.

The little ones come from various villages in Tanzania.  All the children are referred to us by the Tanzanian government.  Infant mortality remains a major concern in Tanzania.  When an infant is orphaned by one or both parents, their chance of survival can be severely jeopardized.  We care for infants at risk until they become stable enough to return to their extended families or until the children are old enough to go to another orphanage.

Sr. Dorothy Pilkington, SSJ, a volunteer from the Sisters of St. Joseph, of Holyoke, Massachusetts, is currently director of the orphanage.                   
                                                                                                              One Child's Story            St. Anna's Health Center, Uwemba