On a mission to help Kenyan orphans

Charities director on mission to help orphans in Kenya

By Nicole Ricker
Diocese of Rochester Communications Intern

Joseph Dimino is leaving his position as executive director of Livingston County Catholic Charities to assist in the operation of an orphanage in Kenya. Dimino’s last day at Catholic Charities was April 30, and he is scheduled to leave for St. Michael’s Rescue Centre in Murang’a, on May 11.

“His leadership in Livingston County and his many contributions to the diocesan Catholic Charities office are greatly appreciated. He faced many challenges with the economy the way it is, but had the passion and drive to meet those challenges,” said Jack Balinsky, Diocesan Director of Catholic Charities.

Dimino first learned about the orphanage after his 2006 trip to Honduras to visit a child he sponsored through ChildFund. He made a video of his trip, which received an overwhelmingly positive response from his friends. “We had more sponsors than there were kids,” said Dimino.

After informing ChildFund of the number of interested sponsors, he learned that Africa was where they had the greatest need for assistance. Currently, there are over 50 million orphaned children in Africa. Of these, about 15 million lost their parents from AIDS. Other main causes include war, famine, and other diseases like malaria and cholera.

ChildFund International began in 1938, and now provides assistance to more than 15 million children in 31 countries across the globe. Their efforts are funded by one-on-one sponsorship of orphaned children. To learn more about the organization visit childfund.org.

Livingston County Catholic Charities is one of 13 regional agencies that make up Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rochester.

The diocesan-wide operation currently serves 12 counties and more than 250,000 people each year, regardless of religious affiliation. This year, Catholic Charities is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its commitment to serving those in need, advocating for social justice, and working with parishes toward reducing poverty in America. To learn more about Catholic Charities or the Diocese of Rochester please visit https://www.dor.org. content