Last July, a group of 15 Spanish youth had the incredible opportunity to visit the Prince of Peace Mission at Nyangatom, Ethiopia. We set up a summer camp to enhance the educational efforts of the Ekisil Group project, and we returned with our hearts full from all that we experienced.

There’s so much to share about our month at camp that we could go on forever. Each story, every face, every sunset, every moment spent together, each Sunday mass, every morning at camp, every smile, every fun evening, and every shared experience and hug reflected God’s presence on Earth, and that’s what we feel called to share.

With our hearts opened, we are inspired to live in accordance with all that has touched us, to be that face of God that we have seen in others, and to nurture a grateful perspective for the gift of life.

by Pilar Jofre
Volunteer at Nyangatom Mission

For the second consecutive year, we conducted the Tamaisan summer camp at Lobur Mission. We welcomed boys and girls from the schools of the four MCSPA missions in Turkana. Unfortunately, we could not include children from Nyangatom because of the swollen river which made its crossing dangerous.

From Spain, we were joined by a group of 13 monitors who worked tirelessly for three weeks. The first week was dedicated to the preparation of the camp, setting up the space and organising materials, while the following two weeks were devoted to the camp activities.

During the camp, the children were divided into six teams, each with approximately 18 participants, supervised by two Spanish monitors and a young Turkana. Additionally, we had a team of cooks, as the food logistics were extensive, providing three meals a day. We also had the support of two security officers.
Throughout the year, we meticulously worked on planning every detail of the camp. This year, the camp was structured into two thematic weeks: the first dedicated to values and the second to different cultures. To explore these themes, various activities were organised, including sports, crafts, informational sessions, and dances. We also dedicated a special day to peace, one of the main topics addressed throughout the camp.

It has been a very meaningful experience for all the children who participated. Our goal is to foster an environment of unity and peace to promote a culture of peace that contributes to the transformation of the region.

By Maque Falgas, MCSPA Secular Branch

We drilled two more wells 60m depth and installed solar pumps that brings water to taps in public spaces to facilitate access to clean water in the towns of Adere Gordoma and Bosoke Yate, benefiting around 1,106 persons.

On June 9, we celebrated the occasion with the beneficiaries of Bosoke Yate. We began with the blessing of the group of elders followed by a meal in which Lourdes Larruy thanked God for this gift and encouraged everyone to live in harmony, to support each other and to make good use of this precious resource.

Once the supply of clean water was assured, we organised workshops on hygiene with nurses and even skits or plays on the importance of cleanliness for good health.

By Tigist Mekonnen, MCSPA Apprentice
Muketuri Mission, ETHIOPIA

A 5-day eye campaign, organized by Ave Maria Mission in collaboration with volunteer ophthalmologists and healthcare workers from Spain, has just concluded, leaving a lasting impact on hundreds of lives in the community.

The campaign, which took place from April 08 till 12, provided free eye examinations, medications, as well as surgeries for individuals who lacked access to proper healthcare. Many residents in Tombura and Ezo County areas struggle with untreated cataracts, glaucoma and other eye problems that adversely affect their daily lives.

One of the beneficiaries expressed her gratitude, saying, “For years I’ve been struggling to see clearly, making it so difficult for me to work in the fields. Thanks to Ave Maria Mission and the Spanish eye-doctors, I can now see the rows of seedlings I plant and the crops I harvest. It’s a life-changing difference.”

Over the 5 days, the Ave Maria Mission Eye Campaign served 421 patients with 92 successful surgeries, treated 91 cataract cases and 1 case of pterygium or “surfer’s eye” … thus, sight for many were restored and the overall well-being of the community improved. The success of the initiative highlights the critical role such outreach programs play in bridging healthcare gaps and empowering individuals.

Ave Maria Mission is committed to continuing its efforts to provide essential medical services to the needy. The Spanish ophthalmologists are already planning future eye care campaigns even as they prepare to go to Nzara (another nearby county) to carry out the same program as at Ave Maria Mission for another 2 days. Thus we work towards a future where everyone has access to quality vision-care.

Peter Sokakulo,
Ave Maria Mission,
[South Sudan]

The MCSPA members in Turkana organized a 2-day workshop for teachers working in MCSPA-run and sponsored schools focused on matters of safeguarding. The workshop dealt with corporal punishment and alternative disciplining mechanisms, and how to create a child-friendly environment in schools and also child-growth and development.

Teachers and child care agents came from the 4 missions of Nariokotome, Kokuselei, Lobur and Todonyang. The facilitator of the workshop was Prof. George Muthaa, Deputy Principal Academics and Finance at Turkana University College. It was a colourful day and the participants were generally happy with the input and content of the workshop.

At the end of the workshop, the participants were issued with certificates and safeguarding commitment forms.

We hope that this event will mark the beginning of a renewed commitment by teachers in our schools to embrace the safeguarding policies that MCSPA upholds.

Fr. Wycliffe Ochieng, MCSPA
Todonyang Mission

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.

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

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

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!”

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