The Missionary Brothers of Charity
For us, living thousands of kilometers away and doing something entirely different in our daily lives, it would be impossible to operate directly on the ground in Africa. For this reason, the Accanto a Kibera Association connects with the local population through the work of the Missionary Brothers of Charity. Having been present in Kenya for 40 years, they have a deep understanding of local dynamics and are able to help us use the funds raised in the most effective and efficient way possible.
The Congregation of the Missionary Brothers of Charity was founded in 1963 by Mother Teresa of Calcutta and is part of the large Congregation that includes the Missionary Sisters of Charity, the Missionary Fathers of Charity, the Contemplative Missionary Brothers of Charity, and the Contemplative Missionary Sisters of Charity.
As stated on their website, their mission is to dedicate themselves to the poorest of the poor, wherever they may be.
The Missionary Brother of Charity must be a friend to the poorest, especially to those who are rejected and abandoned by others: he offers himself as an instrument of God's love and expresses his friendship by bringing comfort and standing by the poor in their immediate needs.
The nature of this service varies depending on the needs of the location, but it typically involves ordinary, humble acts of daily care, always maintaining personal contact with those in need. For example: seeking out the poor and the lonely, both adults and children; bathing a sick person picked up dirty from the street; feeding a person who is dying and too weak to feed themselves; sitting and listening to someone who has no friends to talk to; taking care of the daily needs of the elderly or mentally or physically disabled living with them.
The Brothers visit elderly and lonely people in institutions; they work with alcoholics, outcasts, leprosy and AIDS patients, the homeless, and prisoners.
In 2016, the Congregation had 420 Brothers spread across 69 communities in 21 countries worldwide.
In Africa, the Brothers manage 8 Missions, including two in Kenya, Kibera and Isiolo, which are the two communities currently supported by Accanto a Kibera. Kibera was the first Mission founded by the Missionary Brothers in Africa, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2023.
