Alongside the Daughters of Charity, Maryknoll lay missioner Kathy Flatoff is helping those who are living in extreme poverty in Kenya to access nutrition.
Isaiah 58:6-7
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”
During the holy season of Lent, we are invited to journey with Christ in his sacrifice for all of humanity. It is a time of prayer and action—a season that encourages us to open our hearts wide and love as the passage from Isaiah reminds us.
This Lent, as you reflect on Christ’s call to follow his example, we invite you to join Maryknoll Lay Missioners in solidarity at the margins. Your gift today can be a profound act of almsgiving—because your generosity enables our missioners to help those who often have no one else to turn to.
Kathy Flatoff is one such missioner, responding to basic needs that would be unfulfilled otherwise—and she is making a difference.
Kathy works with a ministry called Nyota ya Asubuhi (which means “The Morning Star”), which is run by the Daughters of Charity, a Catholic religious order of sisters in the Matisi district of Kitale in western Kenya. Together they are helping those who are living in extreme poverty.
“I selected this ministry because I was impressed by the Sisters’ projects to help the poorest of the poor,” Kathy says.
Nyota ya Asubuhi is located in a highly populated area where people struggle to pay rent, buy food, and educate their children. Jobs of any kind are scarce.
Kathy and the Sisters work with street boys, build houses, and administer medical care. They train women to operate small businesses so they can become self-sufficient.
Nyota ya Asubuhi also has a weekly nutrition program. Due to limited funding, the program can only serve the elderly, the disabled, the malnourished, and those who are terminally ill.
Recently a tiny, malnourished infant named Clare was brought to Nyota ya Asubuhi. The mother of Clare had died in childbirth, also leaving behind a six-year-old son. Clare’s aunt is now caring for her and her brother. The aunt has two young children of her own and is struggling. She had no money for formula or milk for Clare.
Kathy and the Sisters provided the aunt with baby formula powder as well as baby clothes and diapers, and they are checking on the family regularly to provide nutritional assistance.
Your support for Kathy’s ministry and the work of all our missioners brings life-changing help to those who face daunting challenges every day. It uplifts the dignity of God’s people. To make your Lenten gift, please give here.
The lives of those whom Kathy serves, like Clare and her aunt, remind us of what’s most important. We are reminded that what we receive from those we help can be much greater than what we give.
Thank you for your steadfast commitment to our mission. Together, we can be a source of hope for those who are longing for a better tomorrow.
You are in our prayers, and we are deeply grateful for your partnership. May you be renewed by the promise of Easter.
In hope and shared purpose,
Elvira Ramírez
Executive Director
P.S. Your Lenten gift brings the love of Christ to the world—and into the lives of children in Kenya like Clare. Thank you for being a vital part of our mission and for walking with us in service to God’s people.
Elvira Ramirez is Maryknoll Lay Missioners’ executive director.
