Kenyan sisters care for disabled children abandoned due to poverty and stigma

Sr. Mary Monica Amollo Owuor provides therapy support to a child at Sigomere Small Home in Siaya County, western Kenya. Many residents have living parents, but were abandoned due to poverty and stigma. (GSR photo/Doreen Ajiambo)

At a Catholic-run home in western Kenya, sisters take in children with severe disabilities who have living parents, meeting needs that persist even as Kenyan care reforms aim to prioritize family-based support.

Most Recent

Latest Columns

Sr. Susan Rose Francois of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace poses next to the sign outside the family and detainee support tent in front of Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey. (Courtesy of Eyes on ICE NJ/Joseph O'Leary)

Magnificent humanity and shared responsibility at Delaney Hall

For more than a year, a network of community leaders has provided public witness, solidarity and mutual aid in support of detained immigrant neighbors and their families at the ICE facility in Newark, New Jersey.

Three tree trunks illuminated by the sun in the woods (Unsplash/Intricate Explorer)

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity: God is relationship

A painting on the ceiling of St. Catherine Church in Spring Lake, New Jersey, depicts the Holy Spirit descending upon the apostles. (CNS/Octavio Duran)
Horizons

Monastic life carries the genetic code of Pentecost

Editors' Choice

Silhouette of a woman (GSR graphic/Olivia Bardo)

In Focus

Inside South Africa's femicide crisis, nuns step in to protect vulnerable girls

Catholic sisters in South Africa are protecting girls, accompanying survivors and challenging the culture of violence that turns homes into danger zones.

News

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Sr. Dr. Uzoma Maria-Joannes poses for a photo outside Holy Family Hospital and Maternity in Owerri, Nigeria. (John Chukwu)

Q&A with Sr. Dr. Uzoma Maria-Joannes, caring for vulnerable pregnant teens in Nigeria

Maria-Joannes, as both a Holy Family Sister of the Needy and an obstetrician-gynecologist, combines faith and medicine in her work with pregnant teenagers, abandoned children and other vulnerable groups.

Sr. Mary Monica Amollo Owuor provides therapy support to a child at Sigomere Small Home in Siaya County, western Kenya. Many residents have living parents, but were abandoned due to poverty and stigma. (GSR photo/Doreen Ajiambo)

Kenyan sisters care for disabled children abandoned due to poverty and stigma

At a Catholic-run home in western Kenya, sisters take in children with severe disabilities who have living parents, meeting needs that persist even as Kenyan care reforms aim to prioritize family-based support.

Darrin Pufall Purdy, theater professor at Boise State University, fixes a replica of a habit the Sisters of Charity of New York wore in the 1950s in an undated photo. Pufall Purdy's research on the habits of women religious led him to advise and design costumes for Broadway. (Courtesy of Darrin Pufall Purdy/Priscilla Grover)

Theater professor's fashion interest in nuns' habits opened door to Broadway

While attempting to reconstruct habits worn by nuns for the play "Doubt," Darrin Pufall Purdy's research evolved into an act of historical preservation for a disappearing generation for the Sisters of Charity of New York.

Amid protests at Delaney Hall, a Catholic nun has been offering 'radical hospitality'

In a new video series, RNS goes behind the front lines of the immigration crisis. Episode 1 is about Sr. Susan Francois, who bears witness and offers 'radical hospitality' to family members and friends visiting immigrant detainees at Delaney Hall.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Amid protests at Delaney Hall, a Catholic nun has been offering 'radical hospitality'

Meet the basketball-loving nuns who are taking the NBA playoffs by storm

Nuns gather in support of 50th anniversary of Women's Ordination Conference

Feature Series

Theologians' Corner

Welcome to Theologians' Corner, where each week a different woman theologian from around the world offers a fresh reflection on the Sunday readings. Because these reflections come from diverse voices and rich perspectives, they invite readers to see the Gospel in new and deeper ways.
READ ALL ARTICLES

Sister Advocacy at UN

Global Sisters Report is covering Catholic sisters' advocacy at the United Nations.
READ ALL ARTICLES

LCWR 2025

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious' annual assembly will take place Aug. 12-15 in Atlanta. 
READ ALL ARTICLES
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Religious Life

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A painting on the ceiling of St. Catherine Church in Spring Lake, New Jersey, depicts the Holy Spirit descending upon the apostles. (CNS/Octavio Duran)
Columns

Monastic life carries the genetic code of Pentecost

Horizons - Monasticism is an attempt to embody in the most radical way the ideal that was manifested in the first Jerusalem community immediately after the descent of the Holy Spirit.

Attendees at the Women's Ordination Conference's 50th anniversary celebration wave multi-colored stoles May 22 in Detroit. (GSR photo/Dan Stockman)

Nuns gather in support of 50th anniversary of Women's Ordination Conference

"We're seeing more religious communities publicly stand true to their values," said executive director Kate McElwee. "We're grateful for those who have been bold and support the conference publicly, and we know many others are praying for us."

Sisters pray in the chapel at the Monastery of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. (Justin Gomes)

Dwindling vocations strain Bangladesh's cloistered convents

Two decades ago, the Monastery of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration in Mymensingh, northern Bangladesh, had about 50 nuns. Today, only 20 remain.

Argentine Dominican Sr. María Lucía Caram Padilla is seen with Juan Carlos Cruz, Chilean member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Madrid Nov. 18, 2025. Zelenskyy presented Caram with the Order of Princess Olga, III class, for her efforts in providing humanitarian aid and support since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Cruz is a supporter of the nun's humanitarian work. (OSV News)

Monday Starter: Pope to bless medical equipment gathered by Dominican bound for Ukraine

Plus, reported destruction of Salvatorian convent and school in Lebanon condemned; Franciscan sister honored for legacy in education; and Catholic media organization offers sisters media training

Community News

Ministry

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Sr. Mary Monica Amollo Owuor provides therapy support to a child at Sigomere Small Home in Siaya County, western Kenya. Many residents have living parents, but were abandoned due to poverty and stigma. (GSR photo/Doreen Ajiambo)

Kenyan sisters care for disabled children abandoned due to poverty and stigma

At a Catholic-run home in western Kenya, sisters take in children with severe disabilities who have living parents, meeting needs that persist even as Kenyan care reforms aim to prioritize family-based support.

Daughter of the Eucharistic Covenant Sister Agnes (right) handles paperwork, hospital visits and conversations with local officials for Paramprasad Ashram, a shelter home for abandoned women in Akhnoor, India. (Umar Manzoor Shah)

Indian nuns shelter abandoned women in India's northern region

At Paramprasad Ashram, most of the women are elderly. Some were abandoned at hospitals, and some were rescued from abusers and traffickers. "We are here to give them dignity," says Sister Jonamma, who serves at the home.

Silhouette of a woman (GSR graphic/Olivia Bardo)

Inside South Africa's femicide crisis, nuns step in to protect vulnerable girls

Catholic sisters in South Africa are protecting girls, accompanying survivors and challenging the culture of violence that turns homes into danger zones.

Sr. Maria Madelene Le Thi Bich offers Bibles to newcomers to the group of former sisters in Hue, Vietnam, on Sept. 14, 2025. (Joachim Pham)

After leaving religious life, Vietnamese women find new vocations

In Vietnam, where religious life is highly respected and often tied to family honor, women who leave convents can face emotional pain, social stigma and economic uncertainty.

GSR in the Classroom

Youth in a classroom raising their hands to answer questions

The project shines light on the mission and ministry of Catholic women religious around the world.

Each lesson connects articles about sisters or columns written by sisters to the good news found in scripture and church teaching. Action ideas and compelling prayer bring new learning alive. Teacher guides provide vital context and engaging activities to launch group discussions.