As you recently read, one of the projects which the engineers from P.U.M., that are collaborating with the Mission of Nyangatom, is a road that connects the Mission with Naita (border with South Sudan). A few days ago we decided to kill two birds with one stone: reopen an old road for the Nyangatom that inhabit Naita, as well as start taking measures for the engineering project.

We prepared an expedition to spend the night out, composed of 17 persons, members of the mission and, thanks to the advice of Lore (a local worker at the mission), some local people who knew how to use a machete, and he was more than right! Almost the whole journey consisted in breaking through forests of thorny bushes. After a day and a half of expedition and clearing 17 kms, we decided to end this first journey, when we arrived at the banks of a dry riverbed, at the foot of the Tepes mountains.

All this effort had its reward, and just before lunch we enjoyed a swim in the natural pools of Nachich, which was a real gift. After the swim some of the local inhabitants were waiting for us under the shade of some trees. They could not believe that two cars had made it there! After conversing for a while they challenged us saying that they would only contribute to continue opening the road with us if our cars crossed the dry stream. So we stood up and hands on and we built an “Irish bridge” and cleared the road to the other side of rocks and trees. The bridge was a success, the cars crossed and the Nyangatom of Tepes have committed to help us clear the way so that next week, we can continue with the second journey to Naita.

Carlos Rueda Bueno,
Civil Engineer

Two years ago we met Bilise, a 5-year-old girl. Her mother, Workinesh, brought her to Andode Health Post because the child had a fever. She was severely malnourished and with bone deformation in all her body due to rickets and pneumonia. Then, she was very fragile and it was almost a miracle that she was still alive. She was crying, because of the pain and the difficulty in breathing.

When Workinesh was pregnant, her partner left her and since then, she worked as a day labourer carrying Bilise on her back while working. She had totally lost hope and thought that her daughter’s only destiny would be death.

But Bilise resisted the enormous malnutrition and pneumonia. They began to live in one of the rooms that the MCSPA built in the compound of Andode Health Post to monitor severely malnourished children and their mothers, women with complications of pregnancy who need rest and good nutrition and the chronically ill who need daily medical control and who live far from the health post.

When Bilise improved and began to smile and talk (by the way, she speaks a lot these days!), Workinesh completely changed her attitude to the care of her daughter. Previously, she did not follow the medical instructions for the treatment of Bilise.

In this way, they started to live again, both Bilise and her mother. Our little one is now 7 years old and goes to the MCSPA nursery at Andode, very close to the health post. She is one of the best students, because of her interest in learning and her desire to play and live.

For me, it has been a precious gift from God, to have been able to continue caring for both Bilise and Workinesh, who now helps in the agricultural work of Andode Mission and has discovered her dignity as a woman and mother.

THANK YOU BILISE, WORKINESH AND ALL THOSE WHO COLLABORATED AND WHO CONTINUE TO HELP IN THEIR CARE AND MEDICAL TREATMENT!

Maria Josefa Nuñez (Pepi) MCSPA

We are a Civil Engineering team from the Polytechnic University of Madrid, coordinated by our professor Claudio Olalla, in collaboration with Fathers Angel Valdivia and David Escrich from the MCSPA. Our goal is to do research for different academic projects aimed at improving mobility and water resources for the Nyangatom pastoralist people of south-west Ethiopia. In previous years several other students have also come to Nyangatom to do the final projects for their civil engineering degrees.

For us it is proving to be a very exciting and learning experience! First after about a week of adaptation to the hot and dry weather, the insects and bumpy roads, we were ready to interact with the local community. Then we had meetings with the local authorities and after an important meeting with the council of elders of Kakuta, where they expressed their main needs. In the meeting it was made clear that water infrastructures are the number one priority which could improve the Nyangatom way of life. Thirdly, we engaged in surveying different locations shown to us by the local people which could be very good for the construction of such dams, as you can see in the pictures attached.

During these last five years of presence in Nyangatom, the MCSPA missionaries have made a big effort at drilling wells for providing safe drinking water to most of the Nyangatom villages at the border with Kenya. The next step forward then, as expressed by the Nyangatom elders, would be to build infrastructures for harvesting rain water.

This is why our projects will focus on the design of an earth pan and two dams, that could provide an important amount of water to the community and their animals and a road to Naita (South Sudan) that could help the mobility of the people, especially during migrations. This road that connects Naturomoe with Naita could provide more accessibility to services and make movement safer and faster.

We hope and pray that our efforts, in conjunction with the missionaries and the Nyangatom community, will realise good academic projects that, with the help of donors and well wishers, will one day come true.

Carlos Rueda

Civil Engineer UPM

The members of MCSPA are happy today, on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to celebrate 21 years since Frs. Antonio, Francis and Manolo were ordained to the priesthood by the late Bishop John Mahon of Lodwar. They were ordained for the Diocese of Lodwar, were they have worked and served the people of Lowarengak Parish, Naiokotome Parish, St Augustine’s Cathedral and Kaikor Parish in Turkana.

Fr. Antonio is now the priest-in-charge of Nariokotome Mission and has done much work in developing water resources in the area and whenever there is emergency he, as a pilot, is always ready to fly patients from the most remote reaches to Lodwar Hospital and beyond.

Fr. Francis on the other hand crossed the Indian Ocean to work in the Philippines. He is in charge of the MCSPA formation house in Manila and at the same time doing pastoral work and animating social outreach with in the depressed neighbourhoods of Payatas II and Parola in Manila. He and the community there also try to build bridges between Asia and Africa regarding vocations, missionaries congregations and volunteers who would like to go to Africa.

Fr. Manolo on the other hand went down to Malawi to bring the Good News to our brothers and sisters at Benga Parish of Lilongwe Archdiocese where he is the Parish Priest. Benga Mission is a beautiful parish not far from the capital and he works with the children and women giving them an education that would improve their lives in the future.

“Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News” – this is what these three priests have been trying to do wherever they have been sent.

We join all our friends and families in wishing them God’s blessings in their ministries!

Lillian Omari MCSPA

At Nariokotome Mission and at all the other MCSPA missions, cultivation of vegetables and fruit, livestock and poultry farming is one of the five main elements that we focus on.

We try and produce food for the mission personnel and also to feed the children at our nutritional units. This year we have been blessed with a good harvest and yield of milk and eggs. Many years ago when I first came to Turkana, I could not believe that agriculture would be possible.

Thanks to our founder, the late Fr. Paco Andreo, who insisted always on planting and transforming this dry and apparently barren place to be a “garden”, where people are able to eat and be lifted from a permanent situation of hunger.

We have been able to harvest plenty of tomatoes and Lucia, the mother of one of our missionaries from Italy, Patrizia Aniballi, taught us to make tomato preserve.

Just as we made tomato preserve, this time round we have also been able to produce and conserve mangoes, and vegetables of different sorts. The women around are eagerly learning this skill.

Thus, the words of Genesis 1:11 may come to pass: “And God said,
‘Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.’ And it was so.”

Thanks to all for supporting our agricultural programmes!!!

Lillian Omari
MCSPA

It was a big celebration yesterday at Nariokotome Mission, when friends of Fr. Avelino along the lake deanery and beyond, came to send him off on mission to South Sudan after working for more than 30 years in Turkana.

Representants from the 17 outstations of Nariokotome were present at the celebration. The church was packed and there was festive moods in the air. Many people came as far a 20 km walking and singing to reach the mission on time for the fairwell mass of Father Avelino, who after 30 years of living and working in Turkana will be going to South Sudan to work there.

Avelino is a real missionary, he has been working with the nomadic families as well as among the fishermen along lake turkana and especially in the Choro Island. He is someone who is always ready to help whoever knocks at his door and will find a solution to everyone who has come to him for help.

We would like to thank him for the great work he has done in Turkana, with the nomads, the fishermen, sponsoring students, building churches, doing pastoral work, visiting the sick, being with the people and the list goes on. “You are a priest forever, a priest like Melchizedek of old”.

We will pray for you wherever you go especially in the mission of South Sudan. Remember that this is not a farewell but rather we are sending you on mission to our bothers and sisters in South Sudan as the mission of Christ has to go on just as you did in Nariokotome Mission.

Lillian Omari
MCSPA

Today was the last day of Bishop Dominic’s pastoral visit to the Lake Deanery. He started the day by visiting the St. Joseph’s Mother and Child Educational Center at Nariokotome Mission. This is a small mission school with the aim of giving the best education to all the children who live around the mission.

The Bishop had a brief meeting with the teachers, a session with the children who recited the school history and sang some songs, and then proceeded with the blessing of the new school hall and kitchen which is still under construction.

The Bishop then proceeded to Nachukui one of the 17 out-stations of Nariokotome Mission area. There he blessed the new Nachukui Dispensary and staff houses. This health facility forms part of a wider health programme run by the MCSPA. Bishop asked all the community to work hand-in-hand with the mission especially by supporting the running of the dispensary, especially now that they have a new and beautiful building.

The Bishop then proceeded to the chapel to celebrate the Eucharist with the faithful; 35 young men and women were confirmed.

It was a blessing to have the Bishop visit us in the area and to spend this time with all the faithful. We would like to thank all who organised the visitation of the Bishop, the MCSPA members at Nariokotome, the catechists, the Parish Council and the faithful.

Acts 16:14 “Open our hearts O Lord to accept the words of your Son.”

Lillian Omari

MCSPA