I believe that God is calling us to help the people of Gahararo II just as we are helping the people of Gahararo I.
One very sad story I heard during my time with the people of Gaharo II was the story of a girl named Faith and her family.
Faith lives alone with her father in a small grass hut.
Her father is aged and going blind and is unable to support them.
Her mother and all her other siblings have died.
She has no way of making enough money to feed herself and her father.
Although she, like Gervais, is a good student, there is tremendous pressure on her to drop out and get married. If she did that, she would forfeit her schooling and leave her father with no means of support.
Our partners at Harvest are very concerned about Faith and her dad.
When we first met Faith at her hut, her father was not home.
It gave us an opportunity to hear her story.
As we were just finishing our talk with Faith, her father came walking up the path.
Because of his poor eyesight and general state of ill health, he had difficulty navigating the path.
When he finally reached the hut, I could see that his eyes were milky white.
I thought him to be at least 70 years old but was later told that he is only around 50.
Even at 50, he is far and away the oldest man in Gahararo II.
He told us about his outing.
He spent time around in the village begging for money to buy food.
But that day he didn’t get anything.
He told us that he had not eaten in three days and that he feared he would not live another night.
He sat down on a rock and didn’t talk.
We gave him a little money so he could buy food for the day for himself and Faith
But I am sure that by now as I write this, he and Faith are hungry all over again.
Although I did what I could at the time, food is not enough.
Systems need to be built.
Infrastructure, no matter how primitive, is still lacking in these hurting villages.
And it’s taking such a toll that their oldest man at the young age of 50 is blind, weak, and begging.
That’s why work to create lasting impact.
Through the building of our Medial Clinic partnered with Xochicalco University.
If this man had received the medical attention he needed…
Faith would be able to finish her schooling without community pressure.
She could eventually marry.
And her father could be working and earning his living, instead of begging.
Tomorrow I’ll tell you more about our plans for our Medical and Dental clinic, as well as the community center that offers schooling, cooking classes, exercise classes, computer training.
We need your help to remove the obstacles that stand in the way of the future generation.
Another person that comes to mind is a young 17 year old girl.
I never got her name.
But I have her photo.
Both parents had passed and she was thrown into the role of caretaker for her younger siblings.
Looking at the photo, you’d think she was a 35 year old woman.
Not a teenager.
Who couldn’t finish her studies and now has no future because medical treatment was not available.
I hope we can expand into her village soon enough to offer the support she needs.
That’s all for now.
If you feel called to help, click the button below to help these communities in tragic situations.
Our Story
GCA was born in 2005 with a bag of rice and beans donated to a kitchen for underprivileged children in the rural community of Colonet, Mexico.
Since that time, we have grown into an important international humanitarian organization with many projects in Mexico and the African nation of Burundi. We are continuing to grow and expand every day as we build on our successes of the past and look forward to the future.
Our projects are changing and saving lives all over the world.
275,000+
meals served to children at Frances Kitchen over 11 years
2500
people have used the community center
5000
served daily with fresh and clean water in Burundi
72
houses built for an entire village of Batwa people
100
school uniforms for underprivileged Batwa children
120,000
bowls of porridge served to the Batwa children of Gahararo
Who We Are
Global Care Alliance, formerly known as The Frances Kitchen Project, Inc., was founded in 2007 by Niles Sharif. Our very first project was to build a stand-alone kitchen at a severely impoverished school in the Mexican farming town of Colonet. Our partner in that project was a lady named Frances Sifuentes, hence the original name of our organization. Frances continues to feed 125-150 children a hot and healthy meal each and every school day throughout the year. For many of the children attending the school, the meal they are served by Frances is the only hot meal they ever get.
Niles R. Sharif
Mr. Sharif, a trial lawyer with 30 years of experience, is the founder and president of GCA. Mr. Sharif is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, where he earned a BA in Rhetoric. He earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin and was admitted to the California Bar in 1988. He is also a member of the bar of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Mr. Sharif founded GCA as The Frances Kitchen Project in 2005, formally incorporating as a 501c3 nonprofit charity in 2007. The name of the organization was formally changed to Global Care Alliance in 2018 to reflect the fact that GCA has become a global organization with operations on multiple continents.
Mr. Sharif is married to Barbara Sharif, his wife of 34 years. The Sharifs have three adult daughters, all of whom are involved in the work of GCA.
Upcoming Projects
Serving Hot Meals in Mexico:
Clean Water in Burundi:
Solar Electricity and Safe Housing (2021):
We need your help to continue the life-changing work in these regions. In 2021 we plan to build more mud homes for the villagers in Gahararo II and Musama. We also have our hearts set to build a solar-based electrical infrastructure so families can have electricity at night and their children can have more time to study.
Please consider financially contributing as you feel led to help us continue this important work in these areas of need.
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