by International Samaritan | Jun 7, 2024 | Weekend Reflections
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...
by International Samaritan | May 31, 2024 | Weekend Reflections
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...
by International Samaritan | May 24, 2024 | Jamaica, Weekend Reflections
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...
by International Samaritan | May 17, 2024 | Weekend Reflections
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...
by International Samaritan | May 10, 2024 | Weekend Reflections
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,...
by International Samaritan | May 3, 2024 | Weekend Reflections
Working with our Samaritan Scholars, the team and I see how vital it is for them to stay in school. We want the best for them, so we encourage them to keep studying and working to achieve their goals, no matter what obstacles they have to climb. Then, as so often...
by International Samaritan | Apr 26, 2024 | Weekend Reflections
Our team meeting this past week was a tough one. Each week, we discuss the 100 or so “connections” that our team members recorded the week before about their one-on-one meetings with our Samaritan Scholars or their parents around the world. These conversations...
by International Samaritan | Apr 19, 2024 | Jamaica, Weekend Reflections
I see our organization as a beacon of light, a force for good. The Samaritan Scholars and team members I work with are a testament to the boundless power of faith, hope, and love to transform lives and uplift communities. Faith At the heart of International Samaritan...
by International Samaritan | Apr 12, 2024 | Weekend Reflections
Working as our Program Director in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, I regularly see one of the worst forms of child labor: children working in garbage dumps. And yet I also get the chance to tell students, in person, that there’s another way. By studying and working...
by International Samaritan | Apr 5, 2024 | Weekend Reflections
In just about every big city, a 40 under 40 list is published each year to recognize 40 people under the age of 40 who accomplished something special that year. It’s supposed to be a big deal, but is it really? Heck, you can do so many things under 40. Do something...
