by International Samaritan | Mar 8, 2024 | Weekend Reflections
This is kind of a big year for International Samaritan. Thirty years ago this summer, we were born out of desperate compassion after a priest driving a car filled with high school students on an immersion trip came across Guatemala City’s garbage dump and stopped to... by International Samaritan | Mar 1, 2024 | Weekend Reflections
In a world brimming with uncertainties, equipping scholars with the tools to navigate their personal and professional journeys is paramount. At the beginning of this year, our team in Jamaica decided to have life mapping and vision board workshops. These workshops... by International Samaritan | Feb 23, 2024 | Weekend Reflections
“We can care deeply—selflessly—about those we know, but that empathy rarely extends beyond our line of sight.” These words from the 2014 movie Interstellar weren’t just a few seconds of entertainment on a flight back from Honduras earlier this year, but accurately... by International Samaritan | Feb 16, 2024 | Weekend Reflections
“What would you like to do for a family day?” I recently asked my 50 Samaritan Scholars in Uganda. Their response was touching: They wanted to see their parents perform for them. Driven by this unique request, our team of dedicated volunteers worked tirelessly for two... by International Samaritan | Feb 9, 2024 | Weekend Reflections
There’s a health clinic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, that serves 100,000 people each year, including many of the 10,000 or so people who are the poorest of the poor. These people live in the community called Kore, which surrounds the dumpsite. While serving in this... by International Samaritan | Feb 2, 2024 | Weekend Reflections
Amidst the wars in the world and the divisiveness within our nation, I’m writing to share some good news this week about a city that has made significant progress in the last 15 years on a problem that plagued it for at least a century before. I’m interested to hear... by International Samaritan | Jan 26, 2024 | Weekend Reflections
Have you tried to pursue “The American Dream?” I know many people from Honduras who have. This past fall, several of our Samaritan Scholars read a book with a group of people who visited us from Grace Community Church, located in Detroit. The book was Enrique’s... by International Samaritan | Jan 19, 2024 | Weekend Reflections
Prepare to be inspired by the incredible story of Dawit, one of our Samaritan Scholars here in Ethiopia. Dawit has not only defied the odds to pursue his own education, but he has shown unwavering dedication to improving access to education in impoverished areas,... by International Samaritan | Jan 12, 2024 | Weekend Reflections
Living in China in the 1950’s, a boy named Zhiying and his siblings were forced to raise themselves after Mao Zedong sentenced their parents to a forced labor camp. Zhiying recalls being 5 or 6 years old at the time and struggling to figure out how to survive with no... by International Samaritan | Jan 5, 2024 | Weekend Reflections
I am living proof that the dreams of each of our Samaritan Scholars are valid. I was raised in a village in Kenya, the eleventh born in a family of twelve siblings. For us, struggle was the order of the day. My elderly parents were not educated. They were staunch...