International Awareness and Involvement
Mary Help of the Sick Mission Hospital
Realizing that adequate prenatal and maternity care was seldom experienced by women on the African continent, in 1955, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. began making plans and laying the groundwork to establish a maternity hospital in the east African country of Kenya. The plans for a facility came to fruition in the early 1960s when Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. made a major donation to help finance the construction of the Thika Maternity Hospital in Thika, Kenya, which is now named Mary Help of the Sick Mission Hospital. The first hospital to open after Kenya gained its independence, Mary Help of the Sick Mission Hospital continues to be operated by the missionary sisters of the Holy Rosary.
DELTA SIGMA THETA SORORITY, INC. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (CHÉRETTE, HAITI)
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., in collaboration with Water in Education International opened the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Elementary School, The Cynthia M.A. Butler-McIntyre Campus in Chἐrette, Haiti June 15, 2013. The Water and Education International Student Collaboration for Haiti Outreach Opportunities for Learning (WEI SCHOOL) Project was established to provide an adequate school facility to include clean water for school children in Haiti. It is the first of many initiatives to alleviate some of the challenges in obtaining a quality education in Haiti. The remote village of Chἐrette is located 96 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince.
DELTA HOUSE (MBABANE, SWAZILAND)
Dedicated in 2002, the Delta House is a home for children who became orphans due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. It is located in what is now known as Vashti Village, in Mbabane, Swaziland along with two similar structures. Built to accommodate 12 children and a housemother, the home was made possible with funds contributed by Delta sorors at the 45th and 46th National Conventions held in Chicago (2000) and Atlanta (2002). Situated in a picturesque valley, an expansive vegetable garden flourishes behind the Delta House where residents (most of whom are adolescents) grow some of their own food. The village is still a work in progress with an office complex, conference center, church and apartments envisioned for the future.
The intention of the International Awareness and Involvement Committee is to exemplify a purposeful and positive commitment to the empowerment of our global community, and thereby strategically impact the challenges of its people. Chapter level programs and events stimulate community engagement as well as support the seamless continuation of the sorority’s current national initiatives.
For the 2017-2018 year, the committee constructed workshops with our youth mentoring programs, Delta Academy/GEMS and EMBODI to increase global awareness, interest, and concern. Our creative project was making blankets for the seriously ill youth from all over the world living at The Children’s Inn while they receive treatment at the National Institutes of Health. During the workshops we engaged in learning about other countries and raising an awareness of similarities/differences as well as the challenges in the global community.
The Committee also contributed to the following projects:
- The Helen Project International, Inc. – micro-lending project in Winneba, Ghana for grandmothers to start their own businesses in order to support their grandchildren infected with/affected by HIV/AIDS.
- The Children’s Inn – residential facility which houses and supports families of seriously ill children being treated at NIH.
- Life Connection Mission – a Christian organization that supports programs of food distribution, medical care, education, career preparation and hope to impoverished children and adults in Haiti.