A REVIVAL OF MY OLD IDEA FOR HELPING KIDS IN THE MISSIONS

"A USED PEN AND PENCIL DRIVE" 

For The Children Attending The Soon-To-Be Finished 

CARDINAL POLYCARP GRADE SCHOOL

Diocese of Tunduru-Masasi

Tanzania, East Africa 

Bishop Filbert Mhasi With Two of  His Diocese's Beautiful And Curious School Children 

Toward the end of last year, working through the Father John Judie Ministries Inc operated by my fellow retired Louisville priest volunteering in the missions of east Africa, I decided to help Bishop Filbert Mhasi find the funds to restart and finish his half-built new Catholic grade school. 

This was what the new school-to-be looked like when work had stopped because the funds ran out. 

Miraculously, we reached that goal on Christmas Eve 2025 about 1:00 pm when the afternoon mail arrived. I had promised to call Bishop Mhasi on Christmas Eve to tell him how close we came to our goal of $82,000.00.  When I told him that we had reached our goal on Christmas Eve, not Easter Sunday as I had first predicted, he was truly blown away! We both consider reaching this milestone a miracle to be attributed to Pope Francis's Sleeping Saint Joseph devotion! 

 

Bishop Mhasi was so eager to re-start the school building that he launched the re-start in a day or two after the first half of the new gifts was wired to him! Bishop Mhasi is a man who can get things done! 

The New Concrete Floor In One Of The Classrooms Was Re-started Right Away

The dry-wall ceiling in another classroom has been re-started after the new funding started arriving. 

With this new funding in place, the re-start of this school building is already coming along quite nicely.  However, after raising the funds for three major building projects in the missions of east Africa last year, including finishing the funding for this school, I have sworn off major building projects for a while so I can focus on some smaller mission efforts!

This has led me to revive an old idea I introduced when I was working in the Caribbean missions. I called it a "Used Pen And Pencil Drive." People collected and gave me over 1,000 used ball point pens and pencils they had retrieved from their kitchen, desk and cabinet drawers at home. Most people were surprised to find so many not being used! 

Now that the new school is on its way to being finished and will hopefully open soon, I would like to focus on gathering some used, or even new for that matter, light-weight school supplies (ball point pens, regular pencils with erasers, color pencils, rulers and so on). Father John Judie has agreed to take them with him in a large suitcase when he returns to Tanzania in March. If you are inspired to help with this easy but needed project, you can arrange a drop-off of your collection of used pens and pencils by texting Father Knott at jrknott@bellsouth.net or by leaving them at his door (address listed below) with his name and your name on the package or bag. He trusts his neighbors to secure them for him if he is not at home. Here is Bishop Mhasi's response to this idea. 

"Fr. Ron, thanks so much for this very good idea of school supplies. Some might take it for granted, but in our area and situation, there are many here who are struggling to get these school supplies like pens, pencils, plastic rulers, erasers and so forth. Fr. John will help us so much to carry these with him in an extra suitcase when he returns to Tanzania."

We have decided that it would NOT be wise to accept writing paper, notebooks and writing tablets because of their weight and crayons  because of the intense heat. The paper would take up too much room in a suitcase and shipping it separately would be way too expensive. Melted crayons would probably not be very useful. In fact, it would be much cheaper for them to buy school paper and crayons over there than for us to ship them from here even if we got them for free.  

On the other hand, if you would like to help them be able to purchase writing paper, crayons and other needed heavy weight classroom supplies over there, you can write a check to Father John Judie Ministries, Inc and send the check to Father Knott for deposit in that account (Father Knott's address is listed below).  Put "For Bishop Mhasi's School"  in the blank memo line at the bottom left side of the check. Here is Bishop Mhasi's response to this offer to promote the need for some help with the heavy weight school supplies that they will need to buy or build over there.   

"Fr. Ron, thanks also for making a financial appeal for securing some heavy-weight school supplies. For the heavy weight items like writing paper, any donation might also help us buy or build chairs and tables (desks) for the students."

Rev. Ronald Knott

1271 Parkway Gardens

#106

Louisville, KY 40217

TWO SUGGESTIONS AND ONE OBSERVATION

1. Invite your extended family members to help you collect these used "sometimes-just-laying-around" school supplies for these kids in need.  

2. If your business gives away pens or pencils for advertising purposes, ask if they have a few they would like to pass on to these mission school kids in need.  (Don't just take them without asking!) 

3. I just know that this is going to be another one of those life-changing mission projects that will empower children and families alike for years to come! I was attracted to this project  because I know and trust Bishop Mhasi personally and I hated to see his half-finished school (a dream of his) just sitting there waiting for some more funds to come in after he had worked so hard to raise the first half of those needed funds! I can't wait to see the day when the kids begin to access this desperately needed new Catholic school. This will not only make the kids happy, but it will make me and the other donors proud and happy as well! As the Book of Proverbs puts it, "Those who water others, will themselves be watered!" 

A Half-Full Suitcase of Light Weight Used Pens, Pencils, Rulers and Pencil Sharpeners That Needs To Be Filled Before Being Hand-Carried By Father John

Heavy Weight Paper That Needs To Be Funded From Here and Purchased Over There

Heavy-Weight Desks That Need To Be Funded From Here and Built Or Bought Over There

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