30 Large
I’ve been with International Samaritan for six years now, or a mere 20% of our history, and I want to share with you 30 reasons that make this 30-year-old organization the most exceptional investment you can make in others. Here they are, and they are large! 1. Our...
Picking for School Supplies
This is Nayeli (pictured above), or “Naye” as we affectionately call her. She lives in the Buen Samaritano (Good Samaritan) community in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, with her aunt and almost 4-year-old son, Jasiel. This community is located right next to the municipal...
America, Remember Who You Are
At the top of my emails this past Monday was this message to Andrew Pawuk, our vice president, and me from Selam Terefe, the leader of our mission in East Africa: I am writing this email with a heavy heart following the news of the recent shooting incident. Like many...
Growing Together
In early May, 12 of us from St. Mary Student Parish in Ann Arbor traveled to Honduras to spend a week with the local International Samaritan team learning, serving, and growing as children of God. What unfolded over the next five and a half days touched every one of...
Holy Ground
Last week, I was in Uganda to see the land that we had just purchased next to the dumpsite there to turn into a family life center. Early on my first morning, I walked with David Kafambe, our team leader, on a muddy trail jumping on stones to cross a small stream of...
Days to Commemorate
This week we celebrated Juneteenth, a day that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. We thought it was worth sharing a few of the celebrations in our partner communities. These celebrations either commemorate milestones or are intended to raise...
A Friend of Honduras
To meet Dr. Ken Coleman is to find a new friend, which I discovered while spending time with him at the opening of our new family life center in Honduras last week. Ken had a good question, funny story, or insightful perspective to share in every conversation or...
A Star in the Making
When we set out to make a difference in Uganda, little did we know we would be witnessing the birth of a new star. Our mission began with home visits, a quest to identify young individuals who, despite their circumstances, showed great promise and an eagerness to rise...
After 30 Years
Thirty years ago this summer, International Samaritan began when Fr. Don Vettese, S.J. and a car full of St. John's Jesuit students (including a young Chris Lindsey, who has been serving on our board for the last 11 years) came across the garbage dump in Guatemala...
More Than A Movie
Here in Jamaica, we recently took 19 of our primary school Samaritan Scholars to watch the movie Migration. The film features a family of mallards on an adventurous journey from New England to Jamaica, and it captured the imagination of our young scholars. Their...
A Samaritan Mother
Adisu had gone without food for days. When he developed severe gastritis, he felt he couldn't endure it any longer. This led to an attempt to take his own life. Discovered in a critical condition, he was swiftly taken to the hospital. He didn't have a mother or father...
Women Changing the World
Three years ago, we shared this story about the dangers of sexual assault that women and girls face working in dumpsites. Kathleen, a good friend to this organization and to me, who also happens to run a trucking company, asked how she could help. My daughter, Julia,...
