Maltese nun and orphans face eviction from shelter

Deep in the middle of the Gatina slum in Nairobi, Kenya, a Maltese nun is struggling to build a shelter for homeless orphans, as her community will soon be evicted from the day centre which she helped set up 20 years ago. Sr Michelina Micallef has seen the St Francis of Assisi day centre grow from a tiny wooden shanty and a small office in a metal container, into a two-storey building to school 250 destitute children and a church to serve the community. However, the local diocese, which owns the land the day centre is on, wants it back so it can house a priest there and the outstation can become a parish. The nuns have been asked to move out by the end of this year. “They are counting the days,” Sr Micallef, the head administrator of the centre, told The Sunday Times. But the 71-year-old nun has taken up the challenge to build another centre from scratch, driven by her love for the children and fortified by a strong faith that God will provide. She managed to buy a plot of land, thanks to a single Maltese benefactor who donated the full €100,000 to cover the purchase. The nuns have already paid the equivalent of €119,000, but need an additional €91,000 to complete the project,...