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Posts in Project

Generosity Across Borders

12 March 2024 Posted by education, MCSPA, Project 0 thoughts on “Generosity Across Borders”

We would like to celebrate and give thanks to the families of Colombia who have taken a step towards generosity without measure. They have come together with unconditional love to stand in solidarity with families that are less fortunate and who suffer poverty in Turkana, Kenya.

A few months ago, while we were in the city of Villavicencio we presented the need for scholarships for Turkana children whose families simply cannot afford to put them through school due to extreme poverty. These children however possess enormous potential and we were disheartened at a bleak future for them due to the lack of resources.

Hence, some families did feel called to not only assist with the studies of these children but to also get involved in a closer way with the MCSPA. Today we are creating a network of support between families in Villavicencio and Kokuselei Mission to give a boost to these children’s education. We hope that this network will continue to grow and that both parties can feel that love is concretised in works that lead to common good, where everyone has something to give, and no one is exempt from receiving.

We wish to continue promoting values of solidarity since we firmly believe that we can all give to those who need our helping hands, ideas, service, and financial support, so that we all have the opportunity to live lives in full.

 

Alexia Moreno, MCSPA

Bogotá, Colombia.

A Fruitful Sign of Hope at Nyangatom

8 March 2024 Posted by MCSPA, Mission, Project 0 thoughts on “A Fruitful Sign of Hope at Nyangatom”

The inhabitants of Nyangatom region in south-west Ethiopia are agro-pastoralists. The biannual rainfall pattern in the area allows them to practice rain-fed agriculture during the two rainy seasons, ranging roughly from April to June and then from September to November. The main crops grown are sorghum, maize and beans. What is not a common agricultural practice is the cultivation of fruit trees and vegetables. Moreover, scarcity of water due to prolonged droughts pose a serious risk to subsistence farming and hence to food security.

In response to this problem of food shortage, members of the Missionary Community of St. Paul the Apostle (MCSPA) at the Prince of Peace Catholic Mission at Nyangatom have come up with pilot farms both at Kakuta and Naturomoe schools so as to help women acquire new skills in farming.

We use the drip system of irrigation at the farms, and despite the scarcity of water in the region, we are now able to produce vegetables and fruits on the farms. The fruit from the farms is enjoyed by many in the area, especially the children at both the schools.

By Kevin Rakara
MCSPA Apprentice
Nyangatom Mission, Ethiopia

Dermatological Project at Nariokotome Mission

25 February 2024 Posted by General News, Mission, News, Project 0 thoughts on “Dermatological Project at Nariokotome Mission”

On 22 February 2024, we inaugurated the Derma Nariokotome Project which aims to support the local population of Nariokotome by manufacturing soaps and creams that help improve health and control skin diseases.

This initiative is sponsored by Cantabria Labs. The premises of Derma Nariokotome was blessed by Frs. Antonio Aguirre and Zacchaeus Okoth. For the inauguration Patrizia Aniballi, Scholastica Wamalwa, Lenny Jilo, Lydia Imbala and Lucia Blasi were present. We also had a small representation from Cantabria Labs: Antonio Matji, Marta Domínguez, Tere Sanz, Toñi García, and Pepa Sardinero.

Derma Nariokotome has as its patrons Sts. Cosmas and Damian, two physician-pharmacist saints who devoted their lives to helping the sick by providing them with “miraculous remedies”. In return, these saints only asked to speak of Jesus, becoming physicians of both body and soul.

Lenny Jilo will be in charge of the project with Samuel Kapua as director. Samuel is trained to formulate and manufacture everything needed; he was educated at the mission since he was a child, thanks to a sponsorship by Cantabria Labs, which also continues to support us in development and education projects in the Nariokotome area.

By Patrizia Aniballi, Lenny Jilo and representatives from Cantabria Labs.
Nariokotome Mission

 

 

 

Celebrating the Opening of a New Well in Mukaturi

21 November 2023 Posted by MCSPA, News, Project 0 thoughts on “Celebrating the Opening of a New Well in Mukaturi”

We celebrated the drilling of the well and the installation of taps in the village of Mechela Wortu, Muketuri, Ethiopia.

We were invited for lunch where they slaughtered a sheep and made two huge traditional breads.
During the prayers, people continuously thanked having clean water, which has changed their lives. One man explained: “Many people speak of you, most are surprised at how you love children that are not your own, especially the ones with disabilities… They say that you love the children more than their own parents!”

68 families are benefitting from this well which has been drilled up to 72 meters, with solar panels that supply energy to the pump that pumps the water to the tank with a capacity of 10,000 liters, and from there to the taps.

Before, the girls used to fetch water from hand-dug holes in the land, this water is brown due to its uncleanness. One day a missionary went to the village with a bottle of water in her hand, people were scandalized as they believed that she was carrying alcohol so early in the morning. This is because, for them, water was brown and the only thing of such clear color was the traditional alcohol they make called ‘arake’.
Many young girls can go to school now that they have water close to them and don’t have to walk for kilometers to collect the water like before.

At the end of the celebration everyone danced and repeatedly blessed us saying: “God grant you a long life!”

A Road that Leads to Hope

27 October 2023 Posted by Community, Project 0 thoughts on “A Road that Leads to Hope”

Greetings from Naturomoe Prince of Peace Catholic Mission. We wish to share with you the progress of the road construction to Naita. This is an essential connector project for the communities of southwest Ethiopia, northwest Kenya, and eastern Equatoria state in South Sudan. The main aim is to bring peace and development to isolated communities based around the Naita range that have suffered from conflict and marginalization for decades. This project has been one of our main priorities since the members of the Missionary Community of St. Paul started working almost 10 years ago in Nyangatom. We intend to give access to basic social-pastoral services to the people. The work is about to reach its goal, as we can see the Naita Mountain very close by.

Constant meetings with the local people and the leaders of the Nyangatom Woreda (local government) have been very important to ensure that the work is efficient, and security is provided for the sugar factory Omo 5 bulldozer and its operators. In a recent meeting with the local community of Lotuko, a Ngikoporea was very encouraging. The people are willing to cooperate with the mission and the local government in whatever it takes, to bring the road project to fulfillment.

One can tell from the excitement of the people that they have longed for something very fundamental in their lives. They are hopeful of getting socio-pastoral services with the completion of the project. The people believe that before the road was opened, they never existed. It is now that they know they exist because they are able to see people coming to them. Speaking in one of the encounters, an elder emphasized that the opening of the road will help to bring peace among three conflicting communities namely; Turkana (of Kenya), Toposa (South Sudan), and Nyangatom (Ethiopia). He said in a very emotional manner: “We have been hearing about the coming of the road for the past 10-15 years. Now I am very sure that we will have access to socio-pastoral services such as health, water, education, and pastoral attention. Before the road was started it was like we never existed. We were forgotten and is like we never existed. I am very happy today because I know that we exist as human beings. We can see people coming closer to us”.

We hope that once the project is finished, we will be able to reach out to them easily. We hope to open outstations and bring the Gospel to them, go periodically for mobile clinics, and provide them with water as it is one of the biggest challenges that the people face.

 

Daniel Jepter, apprentice of the MCSPA

 

 

Onwards with Education in Riokomor and Kokuselei

20 October 2023 Posted by Community, education, MCSPA, Mission, Project 0 thoughts on “Onwards with Education in Riokomor and Kokuselei”

These days we are especially attentive to our students from Riokomor and Kokuselei who are taking their national exams in the public schools of these two places.

They have all been part of a journey started by the families of these children and the MCSPA missionaries present in these communities. It is a journey in which we all continue to learn that only generosity in favor of the little ones will guarantee a better present and future, especially when water, nutrition, and health are assured.

We are happy that many of them are completing their primary school studies and that, little by little, they can open the doors to new opportunities to improve the lives of their families and communities.

We thank all those who make it possible for children and young people in this beautiful place in the north of Turkana to have the possibility of studying. And we encourage more people to join us and support the education of all of them, so full of talent and enthusiasm to improve!

Clean Water in St Joseph Mother and Child Centre, Mizan Teferi, Ethiopia

15 October 2023 Posted by MCSPA, Project 0 thoughts on “Clean Water in St Joseph Mother and Child Centre, Mizan Teferi, Ethiopia”

Since its opening in 2006, the Mother and Child Centre of St Joseph of the Mountain in Mizan Teferi, has a manually dug well that offers water for cleaning and watering plants; it also receives a supply of clean water from the town which only arrives for a few hours once a week. Sometimes this supply of water breaks down, having our Mother and Child Center without water for a month. Also, this water has been seen to not be enough for the demand required by 200 children that attend the center daily.
Thanks to the help of the parish of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Madrid, we have been able to perforate a well of 60 meters of depth inside our center. Also, with the help of the diocese of Rottenburg and a charity race organized by the parish in Madrid, we were able to buy and install the submersible pump with its pipes and water tank, that can store and distribute up to 10,000 liters of water.
Through this project, we are able to improve the health of the community, especially focusing on these 200 children that can now take clean water daily, avoiding many illnesses and parasites that are extremely common in the area.

 

 

Summary of Activities in ‘El Paraiso’ Mexico

8 October 2023 Posted by Community, education, MCSPA, Mission, Project 0 thoughts on “Summary of Activities in ‘El Paraiso’ Mexico”

Dear friends and family,
We would like to share with you the summary updates of the activities that we have done in the previous months in ‘El Paraiso’:

Psychological support to families:

  • A professor and some of the students of Psychopedagogy from Emiliano Zapata University visit us every 15 days, organising some activities with the children and youth.
  • Two outings have been organised to visit Cumbres High School, north campus, together with children and mothers from Paraiso. Activities such as; celebrations, sports games and recreation, impacted positively on coexistence and the creation of bonds of friendship between youth, children and their families

. We would like to thank all the friends who took part in the Children’s Day celebration, where 150 people attended joyfully. 

  • UVM students and professors also conduct workshops with the youth and children twice a week to implement Psychosocial intervention. Moreover, constant visits by Psychologists and therapists provide psychological support to different groups of people and individuals in Paraiso, as well as sharing some advice to the most committed volunteers.


Health and Nutrition:

  • Hygiene evaluations, reviews and workshops on dental health have been carried out by a Dentist every 15 days. We are looking forward to receiving more support to provide dental treatments.
  • Students and teachers from Cumbres high school, implemented a study among people with a high level of diabetes, they formulated evaluations, and specific care guidelines in each case and supported several families with glucometers and lancets.
  • Slowly, we continue to equip the dispensary with medicine donations. Through this, we have a “mini pharmacy” in which patients can get medical prescriptions.

We continue with our support for the chronically ill people with their treatments, physiotherapy, transport and shopping of medicines.

  • With the collaboration of UVM-Medicine University and some friends, we distributed 60 pantries to different families in Paraiso.


Veterinary Campaign:

  • The organisation of a cat and dog sterilisation campaign was done in Paraiso. To make the campaign successful, 100 animals had to be sterilised, we achieved 122!

Housing Programme:

  • With the special collaboration of ‘Dibujando otra Realidad, AC’, training was offered to the families on the construction of houses. So far, we are almost finishing another wooden house. 9 houses were built with the help of ‘Moviendo a Más’ group and  ‘Un techo para mi país’ in El Paraíso.


We thank God for allowing us to achieve an impact on the actions of love, hope and solidarity between the families, friends and close collaborators of the MCSPA in Mexico for supporting the mission of El Paraíso in Xochimilco in its different dimensions. Lastly, we also extend our gratitude to appreciate all the collaborators from different trenches of the world for the love and support that keeps us going.

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Rehabilitation of Lobur Solar Water Pump

21 August 2023 Posted by News, Project 0 thoughts on “Rehabilitation of Lobur Solar Water Pump”

On the 17th of February 2023, the village of Lobur experienced a very strong wind which caused a lot of damage to the village. Within the damages, there were the solar panels of Lobur village water point which were blown away. This destroyed all panels of 200W 24VDC Crystalline solar and the structure.

Once we had the funds, the MCSPA Pump Maintenance Unit (PMU) team went to the ground and reinforced the structure. We purchased all the solar panels and they were transported from Lodwar to Lobur (210 kms away). The team fixed all the panels at the site and did a pump test to check if it worked. After the test, the pump gave a yield of 5000 liters of water per hour. The community of Lobur were glad to have water once again in their taps. There is much water now for both human consumption and for the consumption of hundreds of animals around. Water availability in Lobur villages is restored after 4 months of absence. This is a great joy. On behalf of Lobur community, we would like to thank New Ways UK who have made this possible with your support.

One Year of Caring for the Elderly at Benga´s Agogo Center.

27 July 2023 Posted by MCSPA, Project 0 thoughts on “One Year of Caring for the Elderly at Benga´s Agogo Center.”

If one wanders into one of the buildings in Benga Parish, Malawi, the odds of finding two or more elderly people moving stones around a wooden board are quite high. One does wonder what game they play. This game is called Bao, a traditional Eastern African game. Besides its traditional value, the beauty of the game lies in its possibility of anyone joining in due to its simplicity.

This building would be the agogo center which was inaugurated a year ago. Agogo is a Chichewa word for elderly. Non-coincidentally, this anniversary coincides with the day of St. Joachim and St. Anne, grandparents of Jesus Christ and patrons of the elderly.

A special mass was celebrated to commemorate the anniversary. In his homily, Father Manuel Hernández emphasized on the Pope’s message about the often-forgotten elder members of society. As His Holiness reminds us the unmeasurable value of the elderly, we at Benga Parish thank those who sponsor the agogos and the center. Grandparents are the pillars of society and its families. They have put an enormous amount of effort into shaping the next generations, and nevertheless often find themselves forgotten in the hardest stage of their life.

It was in order to counteract the common occurrence of neglect, which is further highlighted by youth’s constant preoccupation with technology, studies, work, etc… that the agogo project was initiated. The project includes house building, food and sanitary products distribution, medical care as well as water and power access. All the basic needs met, the Missionary Community of St. Paul the Apostle identified the lack of companionship as the toughest challenge faced by the elderly, hence the agogo center.

But what is this center ? It is a multi-purpose building which includes a kitchen, entertainment space, physiotherapy room and showers. The center welcomes the agogos every day. They often arrive early morning, have breakfast and bathe themselves. The morning is spent on weaving, knitting, playing bao, watching tv, listening to music, and perhaps most importantly, talking between themselves or to volunteers. Lunch normally happens at around 12:30, and they can rest or engage in similar activities to the morning ones before departing for their homes before sunset. The whole program includes over 300 people, but only those within walking distance of the building can afford to come to the center daily.

St Joachim and St. Anne are set as role models of generosity, devotion and matrimonial love by the Church. They constantly remind us to honor our grandparents and the elderly at large. Yestarday, around 90 people attended the special function in the honor of Virgin Mary’s parents. After the elderly were greeted and offered seats, a beautiful mass presided by Father Manuel Hernández followed. Once the mass had ended, the celebrations continued as seminarians, agogos, volunteers, sisters and the other attendees engaged in traditional singing and dancing. Before concluding, everyone was served lunch while enjoying each other’s company.

The Missionary community of St. Paul the Apostle is thankful to everyone who’s made the project possible as it is a pleasure to witness the joy all the effort bears. The success of the project so far has grown the desire to maintain and improve the program, which is dependent on more people becoming Godparents to these elderly.

 

By Innocent Phiri, Marcos Urgoiti and Cecilia Keller.

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