Humanitarian Assistance
The need for additional humanitarian assistance, American companionship, friendship, and advocacy for African refugees and their families, have been the main focus points of our “Reaching Out 2 Africa” ministry. This takes place through a series of direct service opportunities uniting people of different cultures.
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ARTICLE: RIP
We are often times an advocate for the life adjustment assistance to African refugees:
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Apartment and household item assistance.
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Direction to services when other service agencies are not available
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Attend to pertinent needs of the local African refugee community
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Faith sharing
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Transportation concerns
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Medical needs
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Educational assistance
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Enculturation issues
YOUNG PEOPLE FROM TWO CHURCH COMMUNITIES JOIN HANDS TO TOUCH PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD
This December members from St. Martin de Porres Generations Strong if Faith Program joined with a number of youngsters from Queen of Heaven Catholic School in West Seneca and provided a Holiday Party to children, youth and adults of refugee families new to the Buffalo area. Face painting, adult gift shopping area, children’s crafts and activity area, holiday story time, and
different foods and treats greeted all our new neighbors who are refugees from around the whole world. Special thanks to Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement and our Reaching Out 2 Africa ministry that facilitated the event. A great time was had by all and our youth. They may not have been able to speak to each other in English but all the children could 
communicate lovingly together.
In Loving Memory of
Peter Kowat Abraham Rual
July 7th, 1993
June 8th, 2009
Your gentle face and patient smile
With sadness we recall.
You had a kindly word for each and
died beloved by all. The voice is mute and stilled the heart that loved us well and true.
Ah, bitter was the trial to part from one
so good as you. You are not forgotten loved one, nor will you ever be. As long as life and memory last we will remember thee. We miss you now,
our hearts are sore. As time goes by
we miss you more. Your loving smile,
your gentle face. No one can take
your vacant place.
While Fr. Ron and Fidele Diing were in Washington, DC the week of June 8th, on Tuesday, June 9th Fr. Ron received a strange telephone call from Pastor Bob; a youth minister who works with West Side Buffalo area youth at Holy Cross Church. “Did you hear anything about Kowat?” Not knowing what this was all about I made further inquiries and then telephoned ROTA: Reaching Out 2 Africa’s executive director, Mrs. Joan Ersing. She returned my call after checking out the validity of the sad news that I had heard. Indeed, one of our Sudanese youth was tragically killed.
According to the Buffalo News Paper, Kowat’s body, who was in 9th grade at Lafayette High School, was found Tuesday, June 9th along the Buffalo River Ohio Street Fishing Access site and was ruled a homicide Wednesday following an autopsy in the Erie County medical examiner’s office. His naked body was found at the edge of the water at a canoe launch at about 11:45 a. m. Tuesday. It was determined that he died from strangulation and blunt force trauma, according to the autopsy report.
Kowat’s mom, Maria Agom and five of her youngest sons arrived as refugees from Sudan here in Buffalo back in 2000. His two older brothers work in the St. Joseph the Worker Youth Employment Program at St. Martin de Porres RC Church. He had just finished his first year of high school. In his homily at the Funeral Mass, Fr. Ron encouraged the Sudanese parents in attendance to be careful “what village is raising your child?” Special thanks to all who have made contributions for Kowat’s Funeral expenses.
In Loving Memory of
Community Elder
Matilda Ojaba Angelo
January 1, 1955
June 17th, 2009
Just a few short days after the funeral for Peter Kowat Abraham Rual, we said goodbye to one of the Sudanese Community of Buffalo’s elder, Mother Matilda. She was greatly respected among all the Sudanese especially all the women. In 2001, the Office of Black Ministry and ROTA: Reaching Out 2 Africa was engaged in planning the first St. Josephine Bakhita Day Celebration for the Diocese of Buffalo. We had called together a group of younger women to speak to them about food, the Liturgy we’d celebrate etc. The question was put to us, “Did you check with mother Matilda?” The women informed us that we could do all the plans but none of the women would do anything if she did not give her approval of their activities with us. Thus did we Americans learn the great respect that people had for Matilda. The respect was not only for her age but the strength of her character that proved itself throughout her time in war torn Southern Sudan. We will miss you mother Matilda. God bless the wonderful family you are leaving behind as well.
HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE - A significant part of “Humanitarian Assistance” for refugee families includes education. Not only does this include providing educational opportunities for particular refugee individuals and/or families but also multicultural educational opportunities for American families helping them raise awareness to the incredible stories of strength of character, will and survival of our new friends from around the world. Below is a story of one such unique opportunity.
“WOMEN MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN OUR WORLD”
WOMEN’S CONFERENCE
By Joan Ersing
“Buffalo for Africa” is a group of teachers and high school students from Frontier High School in Hamburg, NY, that are dedicated to raising awareness about genocide in Africa. On March 28th they held their First Annual Women’s Conference at Rich’s Atrium in Buffalo.
ROTA was invited to have a display table at the Conference. Denise Taylor, parishioner of St. Martin de Porres and member of ROTA: Reaching Out 2 Africa, worked with me to provide information about the Sudan Clinic project to the Conference participants.
I was invited to give one of the workshop sessions entitled “African Women Making a Difference in the USA.” We were blessed to have three African women whom ROTA has worked with, form a panel for the session.
After a brief introduction about ROTA, the ladies shared their individual stories of why they left Africa and how their life is different today. Grace Sokiri, a Sudanese refugee, pictured here on the left, told us how her family left war torn Sudan for Egypt and then arrived in ‘cold’ Buffalo in 1999. The 23 year old war has destroyed any hope of life in Sudan for families like theirs that were educated to be lawyers and teachers. Grace would like her children to be able to travel to Sudan some day to learn about their native culture and to see where their parents began their life.
Thamar Kabieysa, second from the right, pictured here with her friend Janine from Burundi, third from the right, told how she and her husband and their two nephews fled the genocide in Rhawanda to come to Buffalo in 1999. Their families were slaughtered and they escaped to begin a new life here in the US. The horrors of their experience of watching their families and their friends be killed, lives with them to this day. Thamar and her Burundi friend, Janine, who lives in Canada, shared with us a common passion for working for human rights. “Buffalo for Africa” is interested in working with these two brave women in promoting human rights.
Uzo Ifedigbo was the third member of our panel at the workshop. Uzo, first person from the right, is Nigerian and lives here in Buffalo with her husband and their two children. She was educated in Nigeria and frequently returns home to visit her family. Although Uzo did not experience the tragedies that Grace and Thamar did, she is aware of the opportunities that life in the US provides for her as a woman and for her children.
The purpose of the workshop was to raise awareness of the many different ‘women’ that are here in Buffalo who are making a difference. All of our panel members are striving to make a better life for themselves and their families while many of them still support family members still in 
Africa. They all continue to work towards raising awareness of the horrors of war and the genocide that continues today in our World.
One of the women that attended the session told us it was the ‘best talk she had heard all day!” Truly we were blessed to have these brave women share their stories and help us to realize that we are fortunate to have peace in our land. What a wonderful experience of connecting women in Buffalo with “Women Making a Difference” from the Motherland of Africa. We thank “Buffalo for Africa” for inviting ROTA and our African friends to share our story at their Women’s Conference.
(Click Humanitarian Assistance box to start the Slide Show)
Some of the direct service opportunities included:
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American “Thanksgiving Meal” experiences for families.
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Christmas parties for refugee children.
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Uniting American and Refugee families for Christmas decorating and gift exchange.
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Assisting with the first St. Josephine Bakhita celebrations in Buffalo.
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Facilitating used bicycle collections, repair and donation to Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement.
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Helping Americans to learn the story of many refugee families in Buffalo through
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Printed means: Published Stories etc.
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Personal Witness: at religious services, lecture series etc.
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Giving lectures, workshops, and multi-cultural orientation sessions with youth and adults.
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Legal Immigration support and advocacy.
