African Mission

Projects 2012

African Mission is presently supporting the following projects:

1. Fatima Mission is a very large mission (900 sq kms in size) based in rural Zimbabwe, 220 kms from Bulawayo. Practically everyone living within its boundaries are poor subsistence farmers. Despite its size it is overseen by one Franciscan priest, Fr Jeya. It has a number of primary and secondary schools and a clinic within its boundaries. Due to the great need and the number of projects needing help within Fatima Mission, it has been and will continue to be the project African Mission is helping most.

The primary schools and some of the secondary schools (Lubimbi Secondary School) are attended by poor children. In 2009 the physical state of the primary schools was very poor. Since then African Mission has built a new double classroom and a teachers cottage at Dungu Primary School (246 pupils). We have put a new roof on a double classroom at St John’s Primary School (280 pupils) and hope to build a teachers cottage later this year. We have also provided tables & chairs for four classrooms for St John’s and intend providing the same for Dungu.

In addition to providing Dungu Primary School with textbooks, exercise books and pens we have also funded the school fees and living costs for poor children (many of whom are Orphans or have only one parent alive). We have also funded the building of a new classroom (see adjacent photo) and new accommodation for the teachers.

 

St John’s Primary School is in a very remote rural area, 3 kms from the nearest road. The children are very poor and the literacy rate is extremely low. Although there are 2 classroom blocks (with 2 classrooms in each) only one had a roof. Thanks to our supporters we were able to pay for a new roof (see above photo), equip each of the 4 classrooms with tables and chairs. We also hope to fund the building of a Teachers cottage in the first half of 2012.

Blind and Deaf Project (Fatima Mission) is a residential project offering education and training to blind and/or deaf children and adults. This project offers hope to a group who otherwise would be faced with an extremely difficult future. £30 covers one month’s living costs & school fees for one person. In the last 12 months 5 children and 2 adults have benefitted from this project. African Mission has paid the costs for the children’s food, accommodation and clothing. We have also paid the Boarding & School fees for the two adults.

 

One of the secondary schools within Fatima Mission is Fatima High School. It is a very good school academically offering both boarding and day facilities. 20% of the places in the school are allocated to local children whose parents could not otherwise pay the fees. We have set up a sponsorship scheme for some of these children. Without such a scheme these children could not continue their education.

Despite being a good school it is lacking in some of the basics e.g. broken chairs, chipped walls etc. In addition to sponsoring some of the children African Mission has also purchased a laptop, a data projector, Science equipment and text books for four subjects for the school.

New project for 2012 - Bush Boarding & Study Centre

Many of the children within Fatima Mission live in isolated areas and one of the factors preventing them from pursuing a secondary education is the distance they have to walk to and from Lubimbi Secondary School. The distance to & from school is so great that the children have no time to study on returning home. Even if they had the energy it would be difficult for them to study at home as their homes have no electricity.

In order to address this problem Fr Jeya would like to provide a centre near the school where these children could study in the evenings and stay overnight. The Boarding and Study Centre would cater for 20-40 children who have a round trip of more than 14 miles to and from school.

Fr Jeya has an existing building in mind for the study centre but two accommodation blocks, one for the boys and one for the girls, needs to be built. In addition to these new buildings a borehole would have to be drilled to provide water.

A trust has very kindly funded the entire project, covering all costs. We are truly grateful to them for their generosity and to all of you for your ongoing support.

2. Dr Ray Towey’s work in training medical and nurse students in the safe administration of anaesthetics and also raising the funds needed to buy much needed Intensive Care Unit equipment and medicines for St Mary’s Hospital, Gulu, Uganda. Dr Ray sent the photo to the right with the explanation “Child in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with extensive burns. Not uncommon in Africa with open fires and cooking on the floor where children are around. This child is doing well and will be in ICU over Christmas but there is many weeks of care yet to come”.

3. St Patrick’s Hospital is a 72 bedded hospital on the outskirts of Hwange, a Colliery town in the North West of Zimbabwe. It is the only public hospital in urban Hwange serving a population of 45-50,000. It is an efficiently run and very clean hospital but lacking basic essentials such as mosquito mesh wiring for the windows, some of which needed replacing. African Mission has provided the hospital with mosquito mesh wiring for the windows, curtain railings, a new industrial washing machine and part funded a new incinerator.