Naishorua OlDumu and Lazaro OlDumu are brother and sister. They have been with me since their first years of primary school. since their family was not able to help them with school fees. Naishoru has the added handicap of diabetes, needing injections twice a day and a special diet. She finished her junior college studies with the Christian Brothers three years ago. In September, after three years of study, she will graduate a clinical officer from Machame Hospital on Mount Kilimanjaro. Clinical Officer is the step below a medical doctor and they do pretty much what an MD does, except brain surgery, heart transplanting and a few other things. We badly need Maasai doctors in Maasai country, people who understand the people and are sympathetic to their particular needs and problems. In the course of our conversations this week, Naishorua talked of her long held hope, after gaining clinical experience, of becoming a full-fledged medical doctor.

Lazaro is a seminarian in Form VI at our Spiritan seminary at Usa River. He also had many setbacks during his early years at school, needing, at times, to suspend his education to help at home. He will graduate this year from junior college and enter our Spiritan Philosophy program. Lazaro first studied for our diocese during his secondary school years and then decided to become a Spiritan. I am hoping to attend both graduations.