Meet Edison López from Paraguay – and Chuck Fitzsimmons, the Christian Brother in his life. Though this story is individual, it is also typical, and it contains many of the elements to which the Brothers’ ministry responds in that country.

Edison López, 18, is from a very poor family who live in several small shacks in Bañado Tacumbú in the capital city of Asunción. A ‘bañado’ is a flood plain next to the River Paraguay where the poor build their precarious houses – and develop neighbourhoods over time – because the sand/land is unoccupied and free. Edison’s family is typical of many families throughout Latin America who have come from the farmlands to the city looking for work and for a better life.

The farmlands of Paraguay, which are easily 80% of the country, are very poor and simple for the farm-worker families. Education is meager, and quite a few children leave school after 3rd or 4th grade to help their families search for food and work. For many rural families in Paraguay education is not highly understood nor valued.

Edison left school after sixth grade. Then he got into trouble. I went with Edison to his criminal hearing in which the judge gave him probation, with conditions. He must do community service, enter night classes, and a few other good ideas – like not hanging around with the bad guys.

Edison works with me two or three mornings a week, along with five or six other youth, cleaning the public areas of the Bañado. Here no one cuts the grass or cleans the one street that comes into the barrio. So, with donations from the Callan Fund (contributions to the Latin American Region for special projects), I hire these young people for four hours of work in the morning. It gets them out of the house, doing something for the community and at the same time earning a little cash. It also gets me contact time with them, to talk things over, to see how they’re doing, to sense if there are problems. And there are problems – one of our workers fled from home the other day and no one has seen him since.

I also invited Edison to come with me to a weekend session of building houses for the poor in other bañados of Asunción, in a program called A Roof For My Country (‘Un Techo Para Mi País’). In this program university students work a weekend in squads of four to six students, each squad putting together a pre-fabricated house in those two days. The house is a simple one-room structure, but it’s a real step forward for families who live beneath plywood and plastic bags.

In A Roof For My Country, the youth work hard and get terribly dirty and fatigued. I figured Edison could handle the work, and he did. But what about his relating to Paraguayan university students? Edison is Paraguayan, but he’s as far from the sophistication of the university as one could get. But Edison did all right: not only because he’s got a spark of life in him that had him mixing with the ‘universitarios’, but also because he proved a vital link with the poor family receiving the house. Because Edison is poor like they are, he prefers to speak Guarani, like they do. Not too many of the university students speak the humble Guarani, but Edison speaks both Guarani and Spanish.

Later Edison volunteered to go on a marathon eight-day construction with the Roof program, building four houses in that time. I was proud of him. Edison is hoping to be first in line for his own house when the Roof program comes to our own bañado.

Here in Paraguay we begin the school year in late February, after a very hot December and January. By court order Edison had to enrol in the night classes that enable youth and adults to get their grade-school certificate in one or two years of classes. But to get into class he needed a spiral notebook. Like many children and youth in the Bañado, Edison does not have money for a spiral notebook. How could a kid be that poor?! But that’s the reality of Bañado Tacumbú. In the Santa Ana corner of Bañado Tacumbú, the neighborhood organization found 20 children who had not enrolled in school, five of them because their family couldn’t afford the simple materials and public school uniform.

Edison also needed a white shirt, blue pants, sneakers (as opposed to the flip-flops that everyone in Bañado Tacumbú wears), and a pen and pencil. Edison has none of these materials and his family can’t afford them. We figured that all that stuff would cost about 80,000 Guaranis (about US$ 18), so I gave Edison money from the Callan Fund, with the idea that he would pay back half of it in the work he does in our program. Edison was able to enter the night classes, dressed appropriately and armed with his spiral notebook and pen!

I host a 90-minute radio program on the community radio station we have in Bañado Tacumbú. The program focuses on youth and young adults, their victories and obstacles. My first interview was with Sonia Morinago, 21, from the Bañado, who is the administrator of the community organization here, a responsible position, and who studies accounting at the university in the evenings. Sonia is a good example of the many young people in the Bañado who are progressing well. This local community organization recently offered five positions for the youth I work with, for a month or two of fighting the terrible mosquito problem we have here. Edison will be one of those workers who will receive 600,000 Guaranis for a month’s work (US$ 150). It is his first real job.

Is there hope for Edison? He has responded to the new possibilities in his life and shows some initiative. Our goal will be to complete the conditions of the court for the next year, finish his first year of night classes, attend the Roof program once again, and keep him safe and on the right road. Caution is always needed. Four years ago Edison’s older brother was killed in a fight, aged 20. His story stands as a warning as Edison’s own story unfolds.

Christian Brother Chuck Fitzsimmons

A group of 17 members affiliated to the Stoke-on-Trent Network hub learned a great deal about other religions in March during our day at a Mosque and Gurdwara.  The first part of the day was spent learning about the deep beauty of Islam and the shared values that it holds with Christianity.  The second visit was to a Gurdwara, and for many of the group this was their first exposure to Sikhism.  Not only was the faith sharing very deep, but the welcome that we were afforded in both places showed genuine hospitality.

I know that I speak on behalf of everyone when I say that I am genuinely inspired to learn more about other traditions, the value of inter-faith dialogue, and the innate sense of respect that should be the central tenet of our relationships with all that we meet.  The sharing that took place was inspiring on all levels, and as a whole, much was learned about the God-centred beauty of both the Islamic and Sikh traditions.

I look forward to continued and developing relationships with the other faiths in Stoke-on-Trent and I wholeheartedly realise that we are all people striving for Truth.  This world is full of human beings that often are discordant with each other- sometimes I wish that a huge green alien would land on earth- it would only be then that the commonalities of humanity would be accentuated, rather than the differences that seem to be highlighted in today’s world!   For one day at least, the members of the group got to experience that commonality first hand.

Caroline Cirino, St. Joseph’s College and Co-ordinator of the Network Group

In the light of the up and coming Misean Cara review of our project sites in Mazabuka, Zambia it was considered appropriate that we visit theses project – St. Paul’s Training Centre, Changa Changa Community School and St. Edmund’s Secondary School, Mazabuka.

All three sites had in recent times received funding from Misean Cara and there was a desire to raise awareness of the intended review.

Since schools in Zambia close for holidays from early April to early May our time was constricted to a suitable opportunity when we could meet most of those involved with the three project sites.

Our flights were booked by Ms. Clodagh Byrne who also travelled to Zambia as the Misean Cara Liaison Person for the Christian Brothers and was essentially the lead person in the awareness heightening exercise.

With the cooperation of all concerned, Br. Alfred Banda – Community Leader and project director at St. Edmund’s, Br. Jackson Mubela – Community Member and project director at Changa Changa Community School, Br. Clement Sindazi –Deputy Leader of the Mater Dei District and project director at St. Paul’s the details of the visit were well taken care of.

We were further assisted by Br. Donal Kirk – African province Deputy Leader and Br. Richard Walsh – African Province Leader who graciously arranged to chauffer us from Lusaka to Mazabuka and again from Lusaka to Kabwe.  Kabwe is a fourth project site which also received funding from Misean Cara and was within striking distance of Lusaka.  This project is under the care of Br, Stephen Chewe. The project itself is a community based project.

The night flight from London / Heathrow was long and tiring. When we arrived Br. Paul Follas collected us from the airport in Lusaka and brought us to the African Province Leadership House where we were treated to an Irish style breakfast most of which came from the poultry farm run by Br. Walsh. After refreshing ourselves we were then driven to Mazabuka where we viewed the first project – Changa Changa Community School – and met Br. Jackson Mubela and the headmistress, Mrs. Rebecca Mwanza, of the newly built six classroom block at Changa Changa.  Changa Changa gets its name from a compound near by were there is a large population of local people who have no primary school to call their own and would otherwise have to travel several kilometres to avail of a primary education where placement is uncertain. The newly built school looked wonderful and although there were still some work to be done the classrooms were occupied and in use.  Furniture and basic equipment were in place to accommodate the students.  We also met some of the teachers and members of the parents committee who send their children to this school which used to be located in rather poor conditions in an unused section of the near by Secondary School, St. Edmund’s.  Our overall impression of the new school was that the finance allocated to this project was used to great advantage and it is with pride that the children of Changa Changa will take advantage of their new facility.

The following day we visited the other two projects, St. Paul’s and St. Edmund’s. Firstly we visited St. Paul’s which has had a chequered history but is now in the capable hands of Marie Kalumbi who has transformed the once lingering centre into an impressive hive of industry. These activities include metal fabrication, carpentry, motor mechanics and computer studies with other activities being planned.

Happily we moved on to St. Edmund’s.  St. Edmund’s project had not yet got underway but we were shown the area which was planned to be renovated.  The object of the project is to increase enrolment from 740 to 880 by converting a large dormitory space into four classrooms and also making other improvements to the school campus which through time and conditions peculiar to Africa – namely termites – has suffered from wear and tear.  The work on this project was to commence in the week following our visit and we wish them every success with it.  The headmaster Mr. Charles Miyoba was available to meet with us and answered the many questions we asked. We presented each project site with a copy of the Zambian Vision 2030, copies of the Education for All goals and the Zambian Millennium Development Goals Progress Report 2008 which are integral to the movement towards the achievement of the Education Millennium Development Goals for Zambia.

During our stay at Mazabuka we were accommodated at the Christian Brothers community residence at Mazabuka.  We wish to thank them for their kindness and hospitality.

Wednesday morning saw us on the way back to Lusaka where we arrived in time for lunch and after lunch we visited  the International Spirituality Centre where we saw first hand the improvements that have been undertaken there. First class accommodation is now available to those who use the Centre which from the records presented to us is in regular demand by people who wish to run courses or avail of the courses that are calendared at the Centre.

Later that same evening we met with two of the four members of the Mater Dei District Leadership Team consisting of Br. Seamus O’ Reilly and Br. Clement Sindazi. We acquainted the them with what we considered to be the key elements of the up and coming independent review from Misean Cara.

On Thursday we travelled to Kabwe to visit the last of the planned project sites visits.  We were driven there Br. Richard and we were greeted by Br. Stephen Chewe and Br. Puriey Musunga and some of the young men who were having a break from their Noviciate in Lusaka.

We visited the project site – where a new community centre was to be built.   This project had a delayed start on account of the rainy season in Zambia which was just coming to an end.  We viewed the site with Br. Richard, Br. Stephen and the local architect and saw the clearing of the ground that had been undertaken by the local community in preparation for the digging of the foundations. We later, upon our return to the Community Residence in Kabwe met with Br. Mick O’ Donoghue who had travelled from Mufulira to meet us. In the afternoon we went back to the site of the new Community Centre to meet with the local community committee who were the instigators of this project and on whose behalf it was being funded.  To our amazement, in the interim the foundations to the new centre had been dug by local volunteers and one could see the shape of the new community centre clearly delineated in the cleared earth.  The new community centre will house the various activities which at present are being held in temporary premises. These include computer studies, community based meetings, cultural events and sporting activities along with income generating activities.

Later the same evening Br. Stephen invited us for a beer in the pleasant surroundings of a local restaurant in Kabwe.

The following morning, Friday, we were asked to call with the headmistress of the local girl’s school where Br. Puriey Musunga teaches.  This was an inspiring encounter because we heard how a large school of approximately one thousand girls from pre-school to secondary school were educated and even fed through the initiatives of the headmistress who had rented a farm so that those who came to school hungry were catered for.  We then continued our journey back to Lusaka.

When we reached Lusaka disturbing news greeted us. One member of the Mater Dei Regional Leadership Team, Br. John Meade, had died in Ireland where he had returned for treatment for cancer. Some of the Brothers and I went to the Regional Leadership House to express our condolences.

Later that evening Br. Donal Kirk graciously brought us shopping in the local market in Lusaka where we purchased some of the lovely craft items on sale.

We had arranged to have an evening meal and made our way to lovely and reasonably priced restaurant in Lusaka where we ate and enjoyed each others company.

Early the next morning (6am) we were taken to Lusaka airport for our return flight to London / Heathrow and eventually on to Dublin.

This is the last week, of the eight-week programme, of in-service Teacher Training we are delivering in Yambio, Malakal and Leer. For the first time, we have been able to use our own purpose-built facilities in Malakal and Yambio. Better facilities were provided in Leer, and it really has been a great boost to the quality of what we can deliver. On each site, the teachers received seven hours of instruction each weekday from their Solidarity for South Sudan (SSS) tutors. Progress is not always rapid but valuable steps have been taken towards improving the quality of primary education.

On each site also, although facilities are still to be completed, a few students lived-in. So meals had to be arranged and improvised accommodation made available. Suffice to say the teachers in residence responded very well indeed, along with the great majority who came to classes each day from their homes. I have been able to visit each of the sites and have been most gratified at the excellent spirit I have observed among the student teachers and the SSS tutors. Given all the uncertainties in Southern Sudan when the programmes began in early February, I think our tutors and the participating teachers can rightly feel that something very valuable has been achieved. Perhaps one could be excused for having a feeling of triumph that all has worked so well.

Our programme was interrupted in Malakal when fighting broke out around our compound between rival military forces. Both tutors and the student teachers had to sit it out for several days until the fighting subsided but then classes resumed and numbers gradually built up to what they were before as the threat of looting subsided.

Unfortunately, the number of reports of fighting and division in the ranks of the Southern military forces has been steadily rising. The Bishops were meeting in Juba this week and the advisor to the President who addressed them spoke openly of the President’s concern that old divisions are reappearing and there are even threats of assassination of some of the leaders in the Government of Southern Sudan. The Government want the assistance of the Bishops who are willing to give it. Certainly they can lend great moral authority to the cause of peaceful co-existence of all in Southern Sudan but conflicting traditional rivalries are hard to soothe.

A few days ago in Boma, a rival tribe retaliated against the perceived transgressions of another tribe by herding women and children into their tukuls (houses with grass roofs) and setting fire to them. At present this trouble is mostly in remote areas but it can show appalling lack of respect for the value of human life. The attack on Malakal was carefully orchestrated by self-interested rogue generals and there is even some talk of an attack on Juba, the capital. For all of that, I continue to witness and experience a calm confidence among most of the people. It would be a great wrong if the selfish ambition of a few leaders were to plunge back into violence the countless majority who want continuing peace.

Do we feel in danger? Not really. It is clear there is respect for Church people and there is respect for the services we are delivering to many people who have come to view us as friends. While the fighting in Malakal was very close by, it became evident our workers and our facilities were not a target. We are not the subject of white resentment. Rather I feel the people are somewhat protective of us and really appreciate what we are endeavoring to do.

We continue to pray that the good of peace will triumph over the great evil of war. We continue to plan, live and act on the assumption the future on the new country of Southern Sudan is there to be built. There are many people, both local and expatriate, united in their efforts to achieve this goal. It would be tragic if the actions of an armed but very small minority were to disrupt the smooth transition to nationhood and prevent the resolution of outstanding issues with the North. I think there are, however, increasing reports of violence notwithstanding, still good grounds for optimism that peace will prevail.

BR. BILL FIRMAN  FSC

What is this call? Where is this spirit calling us to? Whom should we attend to? Catholics? Protestants? Muslims? Atheists? Traditional African believers? Or all people within humanity?

On Saturday 9th April, I responded to a call from two friends, who for the past years have been witnessing what the Edmund Rice Network (ERN) have been doing; how members have been fostering the spirit of solidarity and enlightening each other through empowerment. The two friends from Machakos, who stay in Nairobi, approached me to pay a visit to their rural group in Machakos so as to help ignite the spirit of solidarity and encouragement to the members.  I have continued to play similar roles by paying visits to different groups to listen to them and whenever possible offer them advice on how to keep up the good work they do for the benefit of their communities.

This time it was a very unique group, one could refer to as “a community baraza”. The meeting was held in the outside field in Central Division of Machakos, Kimutwa Location, in Upper Mbembani village. The turnout was impressive. There were 38 people, the present majority being elders all coming from the entire village, with women and men were present. The group is registered with 47.

What amazed me was the fact that all these villagers came out in big numbers to listen to me, just to share their challenges and seek my advice on how they could move ahead. I was puzzled, I kept asking myself, “Do I really have answers to these peoples’ questions? What should I tell them?” Of course the story of Edmund will not simply solve their quest. I finally got an insight: that a solution lies within them and I will only act like a catalyst.I stood to speak and everybody was excited, faces smiling and heads nodding in agreement. This began showing me that I was on the right track, I was delivering something to these people that resonated with them.

When I concluded and asked for questions or contributions, many stood to agree with what I had shared and indicated that they were ignorant and hoped that someone will ever come to help them solve their main problem of water which has left everything in the location in a desperate state. They came to realize that the first initiative was them discovering their need, their effort and how much they wanted to sacrifice towards their need in order to achieve the end result. I used several analogies of NGOs and more so the Catholic Church in early times where projects were established for the people and when they left, they went with the projects because they belonged to them not the community.

All members present were happy and immediately set a date and promised to have a meeting on Wednesday 14th April to discuss the initial steps including contributions and allocation of tasks to individuals following my advice. My promise to them was to help them realize their dream by advising them, networking their group with other groups like those in ERN and paying them a visit once in a while to see their development. The group, “UPPER MEMBANI SELF HELP GROUP” had already been registered in 2009 and, since then, had done nothing but remain optimistic that some help would one day come from somewhere. They did not believe in themselves as possessing the “vital force” (as Wiredu calls the nature’s force) which could help them achieve their dream. This is what was ignited in them, simply by encouraging them and helping them see that they had the force within them.

Indeed I left fulfilled! I was very much appreciated since even their local MP, who even after several requests to visit the members, has never turned up. I learned one thing, PRESENCE IS A VIRTUE. Just presenting oneself to listen to people is a great gift and respect you have offered them. This is why most psychologists often say LISTENING is very difficult a gift to many, listening only comes when you accept to be with someone and allow him or her to speak to you. It is a challenge we as members of ERN face in our mission, keeping in mind our core value of PRESENCE.

-Johnstone Shisanya (ERN Coordinator)

The 9th of February was a day to be remembered. On this day the family of Mary Rice gathered with the family of St Charles Lwanga primary school for a welcoming ceremony and introduction of one another since we wanted the staff members of Charles Lwanga to undertand what really happens in Mary Rice Centre.
Among the visitors was Brother Russell Peters, who gave a brief introduction Brother Russell of how Mary Rice came into existence. James, the occupational therapist, gave a summary of what happens in the centre and the teachers were really amazed at what they saw and heard from the speakers.
As the main theme for this occasion was to show love and acceptance to the children with special needs, the head teacher assured us of getting moral support from his staff and the entire school. “Since we are all brothers and sisters we don’t need to walk alone. We need each other to create an impact on our society.” These are not my words but of the head teacher of St Charles primary school which were very encouraging.
The aim of Mary Rice Centre was not for students to pass exams, but to have good moral standard and to gain home based skills to help them be more self reliant. I was also encouraged when the head teacher said, “Education is not just about passing exams, but it is to make the student be a person with good moral standards and be helpful in our society.” We realize we are all on the same journey of enabling Kibera people to create an impact on themselves.
The meeting was not over until the sodas and snacks appeared and we enjoyed the occasion with one another and our massage of love and acceptance was clearly passed to each other. Peace to you all: “Be the change we want to see.”!!

-CONSTANTINE SUNDAY

This post was taken from the Christian Brothers East African District Newsletter (Dated 14 Feb, 2011 – No. 131)

South Sudan was devastated by war since the 1950s and the first real hope for peace came in 1972 with Addis Abba Peace Agreement giving the south the right to rule itself in domestic matters.  The peace broke in 1983 and the war continued up to the signing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in January 2005.

The Christian Brothers first came to South Sudan in 1993 to support the Diocese of Tombura-Yambio.  I started working in Sudan in April 1996 at a secondary school known as Comboni Parents Secondary School.  The Bishop of Tombura-Yambio Diocese, Very Rev. Joseph Gasi Abangite wanted the Brothers to provide education to the children, teenagers and especially to train teachers.

Education and health care are the paths to definite development for poor people.  When people are educated they are free to make choices. Likewise when they are healthy the can move and decide what activities they want to engage in.

When I arrived in Yambio all I had was three rooms, two rooms could hold up to forty pupils each and another that could hold fifteen to twenty.  There was no furniture in the rooms. Neither did the school have textbooks, or other school materials.  The school was decimated apart from the buildings.  I had a number of men on the staff but to say they were trained teachers would be to say too much.  There was no government in South Sudan so we had no Department of Education, no syllabus, curriculum, or state exams. Yet the young people were keen to learn.

I knew the challenge that faced me and so I set about planning to provide all that was necessary to educate hungry minds.  I borrowed some money and went to Nairobi to purchase all the school materials I could with the amount of money I had.  I was fortunate that a Dutchman in a neighbouring mission was flying in medicine and other supplies and agreed to bring my supplies as well if I was willing to share the cost.  I agreed.

After two years the school grew from 60 students to 250 students, boys and girls.  It was heartening to see the girls having the opportunity to be educated.  The students were bright and willing to study.  Some had to travel long distances to get to school and unfortunately we didn’t have boarding facilities for these students as I was running the school on a shoe string.

It was a similar story with Teacher Training.  Br. Eamon O’Brien did great work to provide training for teachers. He was meticulous in preparing for these courses.  He was magnificent at organising and nothing escaped his attention.  He would travel any distance if it meant that teachers could be trained in better methods of teaching or they could learn to write better class lessons or make teaching aids from local material.

Br. Paul McCrossan was involved in similar work but his work was mainly with the UN. In those days we didn’t have any cars and so both Eamon and Paul would have to travel by motorbike.  Paul McCrossan would think nothing of travelling to the far end of the diocese, which was 150miles away from Yambio, over poorly maintained roads, in order to provide Teacher Training.

As the years rolled by other Brothers came to join us.  After working in the school for two years I handed the Principal ship over to Br. Trevor Gibbons.  I went to work as a Development Co-ordinator for the diocese.  These were challenging years.  The war was still going but it was obvious that it was losing energy. In March 1997 the town of Yei, which was to the east of Yambio, was captured.  This was a very strategic town for us as it opened the way to the border with Uganda. Now we would have a supply line and it would be no longer necessary to fly to Nairobi to get supplies.

In May, along with three others, I drove from Yambio, through Maridi, Rassaoul, Torre, Yei to the border with Uganda.  On our way to the border we passed through a battle field where many bodies were scattered unburied.  The stench was terrible but not as terrible as realising that some of those who were killed were women and children. It was my first time to come up against the barbarity of war.  It struck me that when we despise our enemies so much we don’t care to bury them even if not to do so can cause a health risk.

South Sudan has suffered greatly during these terrible years of war. Millions have died and more millions have been forced to live in refugee camps.  Women and children in particular have borne the brunt of war.  They have not been spared by either side, their rights have been ignored and they have been abused in many different ways. Women have sown their crops in the field or thatched their houses but were not allowed to pleasure of reaping their harvests or living in their houses because the war swept in their direction and they had to flee to save their lives.

Lack of health facilities also caused huge suffering to these people.  TB, Malaria, sleeping sickness and many other fevers were always close by to threaten and kill.  TB was rampant in parts of Sudan and seventeen miles out from Yambio the Comboni Sisters ran a TB and Leprosy hospital.  This was a fifty bed hospital and the Sisters worked very hard to make this hospital in the bush a happy home for those who came for treatment. Words cannot describe the conditions in which the people lived but the Sisters and Comboni Fathers always gave of their best to ensure that the people were well cared for.

Today the Christian Brothers continue to work among the people of Yambio and other towns and villages.  One Brother now teaches in the school.  The management of the school is in the hands of the local people.  We also provide pastoral support for those infected and affected by HIV and AIDS through the STAR programme.  The Brothers visit the homes of the sick to offer them pastoral support and where needed maize, rice and vegetables. They also ensure that all those who need to visit the hospital are supported with transport.  This is very challenging but rewarding work as the Brothers are now able to give their time and energy to look after the sick.  The Brothers are joined in their work by many lay people.  The communities are visited on a weekly basis and at present the Brothers are offering assistance to 1,600 individuals affected by HIV and AIDS.

The Brothers also support children and teenagers and young adults who are physically or mentally challenged.  Again they make sure that these people have access to medical care, food and if possible physiotherapy.

In Yambio, South Sudan the Brothers have been welcomed and the work they do has provided support and comfort to many thousands of people who need health care.  The people are friendly but many have suffered the trauma of decades of war and now are in need of security and peace.

However, the people of South Sudan have one more big hurdle to cross and that is coming up in January 2011.  As agreed by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement 2005 the people of South Sudan were guaranteed the right to vote on either unity with North Sudan or separate and form a separate state.  Last year the people voted in Country Elections for new Governors and these did not go smoothly.  There is more at stake this time especially for the north. To lose the South is to lose control of Unity State where there are extensive oil reserves.  Also to lose the South is to lose the most fertile part of Sudan and the potential for food that goes with it.

The stakes are high and each player has his (and its mainly his) own reason to win.  I hope that the International World do not stand back and watch these gentle people of South Sudan suffer any more.  Enough is enough.

Declan Power

Care takes a whole community
World AIDS Day and the AIDS Awareness Month

Responding to the pandemic of HIV/AIDS is a challenge to the Edmund Rice Network, particularly in Africa where the infection-rate is alarmingly high. Here is an interview with two Christian Brothers who work full-time in this ministry.

Of South Africa’s 50 million people, 5 million are infected by HIV/AIDS. A parish south of Johannesburg, Orange Farm, has responded with a three-fold programme called Inkanyezi (Zulu for ‘star’). This involves Home-Based Care, Anti-RetroVirals, and Orphans & Vulnerable Children. It now extends beyond the parish and is overseen by a Board. Three years ago, a community of Christian Brothers was started in nearby Zakariyya Park to participate. This is a blog by one of the current members of that community, Gerald Mgalula who is originally from Tanzania.

I’m part of a team of three that visits Clients door-to-door. With those who are not on medication, we monitor any changes in their health, especially their CD-count. In the case of those on medication, we monitor any side-effects. And we give the family our support. Our team is one of nine, and we have 35 Clients (significantly, 33 women and only 2 men) – each team-member has special responsibility for about 12 people, but we do things together to ensure continuity.  Encouragement is critical. But it can be a real struggle to find the words to say, especially when someone is approaching death. In a way, it’s something like Edmund Rice accompanying people to the gallows, supporting them and their families to the end.  I have personally lost many close relatives to AIDS, but it’s something that is never spoken about – even medical people in my home country sometimes avoid talking directly about it – and I know that some died through ignorance. It’s so important to talk! This is a treatable disease, and I feel passionate about saving people from unnecessary suffering and death. And I feel specially drawn to the young children infected or affected by the disease.

Words are powerful. Calling people ‘patients’ and describing them as ‘sick’ just because they carry a virus in their system, is alienating – it takes something away from them. It is better to use empowering words, like ‘Client’; inclusive and relational words such as the Sotho language is so good at providing, like ‘my older brother’ or ‘my sister’. Having seen infected relatives of mine being isolated by family through ignorance and fear, I feel strongly about always including people as part of a larger community.  HIV/AIDS needs an approach that is holistic. A medical approach is too narrow on its own; the condom strategy is also too narrow. We’re dealing with whole people, not just an aspect of their lives.

To read the full article or for further coverage of the response of the worldwide Edmund Rice community to HIV/AIDS, see our sister-website www.edmundrice.net

We are the Congregation of the Christian Brothers, an international Religious Order founded in Ireland with the mission of helping orphans and vulnerable children (those who have parents but cannot meet their basic needs). At present the Christian Brothers, live and work among some of the poorest people in Zambia. We are found in several towns including remote areas. Ever since our Congregation was founded, we have been involved in pastoral work, nursing care in clinics, hospitals and home care, i.e. looking after the aged, orphans and poor people especially the youth.

Kabwe Community of the Christian Brothers is situated in a highly residential area. Most of the youth we minister to come from the compounds whose residents have a low or no income due to unemployment caused by the closure of industries and the only mine in town. The removals of subsidies and liberalization on markets contributed to people becoming destitute. As a result of this there is high level of stress and trauma in these compounds among the guardians as well as the children. The problem of orphans and vulnerable children(OVCs) occurs all year round as parents and guardians who were once bread winners in their families are dying due to the deadly HIV/AIDS which has not spared most of the people living in the compounds. The struggle to earn something to eat for a day has forced most of the children into prostitution, alcohol consumption, drug abuse and has increased the number of children being abused in the streets. Since most of the parents or guardians are out of formal employment, they are failing to provide the basic needs to the children, a lot of the children have moved into the streets across the country.

Having realised the dire situation, the Brothers have put their efforts with other organisations in trying to help our brothers and sisters who are either infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. In the last three (3) years we have been organising basic counselling, accompanying these young people spiritually and morally. We have also assisted a number of them with payments of school user fees. We started this project of offering basic counselling and prayer meetings in order to reduce the levels of stress and trauma among the youth in our locality. Due to the high levels of stress sometimes these children have resorted into prostitution in order to earn a living. Prostitution is illegal in Zambia and so sometimes these children end up being arrested by the police.

The other way the Brothers have responded to the needs of those affected by HIV/AIDS pandemic is by partnering with one of the local convent schools, Angelina Tembo Girls Secondary School where we help in providing a meal once a day to vulnerable children. The feeding project at school started mainly to get these orphans and vulnerable children into school for education purposes and offer counselling as one way of easing stress or mental stress.  We put every effort to provide a meal at the middle of the day for them as a way of keeping them in school to learn since most of them are either heading homes or are being taken care of by their aging grandparents or worse still could be nursing their sick relatives. Where possible we have provided food to their relatives as well at their homes to supplement on what they have.

Our main efforts have been aimed at:

•    Reducing stress by counselling them on HIV/AIDS and its dangers.

•    Reducing poverty among vulnerable children by providing food and offering education thereby setting them free.

•    Keeping the orphans and vulnerable children in school.

•    Keeping them health by providing them with a balanced diet.

The issue of HIV/AIDS is a serious problem in Kabwe and the Brothers can only reach a small number of the large population of this town. A good number of people die without accessing any medical help and those who do access medical help don’t live long after contracting HIV due to poor diet. Most of them cannot afford to buy nutritious food or balanced diet as prescribed by the medical personnel. The pandemic has managed to break the family ties which were once upheld in our society, there is a lot of stigmatisation which is killing many people fast since they can’t take the shame and the blame much longer. People feel ashamed because many people, despite the level of education they may have still associate HIV/AIDS only to sexual acts and look on those with the virus as being promiscuous. This year, the Brothers will join with others in the ‘Candle Light service’ where we will match in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are either affected or infected by HIV/Aids. There is much despair but we remain hopeful.

Br. Puriey Musunga

My name is Bill Colford and I am a Christian Brothers who has worked in East Africa for the last eleven years and for the past eight I have been directly involved with people living with the AIDS virus.

I began my work quite simply in a small village called Yambio in South Sudan.  What began as a very small and private endeavour with six infected people has grown to a major operation involving in excess of 1600.  Brs. Daniel and Cornel have run what is known as the STAR group for the last three years and under their direction it has flourished.  That is both good and bad news.  The bad news is that there are so many people requiring our services and putting heavy demands on our fragile resources.  The good news is that the people are willing to share their status with us and they do not experience the stigmatization and discrimination as they do elsewhere.

At one meeting of about two hundred PLWHIV one lady answered the question “how has the presence of the STAR group influenced your life?” with the following reply.

“The Brothers have given us so much material things and have helped us stay alive far longer than we would have expected but that is not what I have experienced the most. What we in the STAR group loved most about the presence of the Brothers in our lives is that they help many of us die with dignity”.

Personally, that is the only encouragement I would need to keep me active in this field.  The people are grateful for all they have received and are open and willing to share their experience.  In so many other situations they have experienced rejection, isolation, stigmatization and discrimination but with God’s grace, the Brothers have been able to open their home, their resources and their lives in such a way that these people experience positive acceptance within our walls and hearts.

Yes, we are doing wonderful work and reaching out to the neediest of God’s people, but that we could not have done without the support and encouragement of our many benefactors.  It is because of your generosity that we are able to assist, so from the 1600 people in the STAR and our sister group RAINBOW of 2400, we thank you for helping us support both groups to live with some sense of dignity.

The struggle is far from over.  We are winning the battle of AWARENESS and as recent reports have shown, the decline in new infections is around 20% in many areas and that is a reason to be thankful for.  But….   “HIV fatigue”… may be setting in.   A complacency may be taking place.  Funding for HIV/AIDS work has dropped significantly and it is possible that the positive steps we have taken so far may be undone in a short span.  A very few people, less than 30%, are receiving the needed medicines required to stay healthy.   The battle is far from over and we pray to God that we will have the support and encouragement to fight the good fight.  We are assured that God is constantly giving us what we need, now it is up to us to use what has been provided.

Thank you and know that you are blessed by God in many ways and that you are held gently in God’s hands as we struggle together in this war.

Bill

In 2003 a support group was formed in Nzara for People living with HIV/AIDS.  Bill Colford was asked to give workshops to the original leaders and founders.  Bill was very much involved in teacher training at this time but during the times he was in Yambio he gave workshops on AIDS AWARENESS. By 2004 there were a number of people (6) who tested positive in Yambio and requested assistance from the Brothers.  At first we gave 10,000 Uganda shillings twice a week to the hospital to help feed these few people.  Because they were stigmatized and discriminated against at the hospital site they further requested that they move to the brothers’ residence and be given the funds directly so that they could buy, prepare, cook and share the meal together there.  All the brothers agreed and were totally behind the idea.  When Bill was teacher training many hours away for weeks at a time, Denis would take care of the group.  Since the number was small there was no problem with preparing and eating at the brothers’ house.  Since the Nzara group had a name this group now wanted to be recognized.  Since it was early December and Christmas was not far away the people chose STAR as their name because it was the Star that gave hope and direction to the people seeking Jesus.  Two of the factors that gave impetus to the meager beginnings was first the scripture passage.  “Whatsoever you do for the least of these my brothers and sisters you do unto me”, and the statement from our constitutions about reading the signs of the times and responsing to the needs of the marginalize and oppressed.  No group was more identified with these statements than People Living with HIV/AIDS in the south of the Sudan.  In hindsight we can apply recent appeals from the Congregation who urge us to become directly involved in the struggle and to let go of the old and attempt to enter into the new.