Article in the Swazi Observer about Cabrini Ministries' Orphan Care

Hello friends,

We wanted to share with you the following article that was written by Calsile Masilela, a writer for the Swazi Observer (one of two major newspapers here) that came to visit us, and who we feel really understands our works.

As the adult generation ages 15-49 struggles with a 34% HIV prevalence rate and more people that age are dying, their children are left behind as orphans to be taken care of by extended family or neighbors. Grandmothers (gogos) like Gogo Shongwe portrayed in the article below often take on caretaking duties at an age when they would normally expect care themselves.

We at Cabrini Ministries try to ease the burden on families affected by HIV/AIDS by helping to raise orphaned and vulnerable children with a co-parenting approach, providing shelter, food, clothing, school fees, psychosocial support, health care, etc. for orphaned children while also helping them maintain a connection with home and their remaining family members. We also try to help struggling caretakers like Gogo Shongwe with food and health care.

This article was published in the Swazi Observer, Monday May 5, 2008.

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CABRINI MINISTRIES HOUSE, EDUCATE, FEED OVC
… As the drought hits hard on Lubombo folk

LUBOMBO drought-ravaged residents want action against the devastating effects of poverty.

Photo of Gogo Shongwe by Jane Gillooly

  Gogo (granny) Maria Shongwe, who lives with her orphaned 11 grandchildren, said she had never expected to live under such harsh conditions. Gogo Shongwe related that in the past they used to engage in farming but stopped because of the drought.

  “We now depend on food aid, which is also not reliable because at times we go for one to two months without receiving the rations,” said Gogo Shongwe. She added that she was disturbed that some of the grandchildren do not go to school because she could not afford to pay for their school fees.

  She mentioned that out of the 11 grandchildren only five go to school, thanks to Cabrini Ministries.

This is one of Gogo Shongwe's grandchildren that lives at the Cabrini Ministries hostel during the school year and is doing well.

  “I really wish the mission staff could be blessed for they care for the needy like ourselves. When I get to the mission to visit my grandchildren at the hostel, they welcome me and I also feel at home,” she said, adding that they also give her some food to eat and some food to take home.

  Gogo Shongwe said if it was not for the mission a lot of children around that place would be dead by now.

  “My granddaugher, it is only now that we shall have a meal because the missionaries gave us some,” she said.

  Gogo Shongwe encouraged people to visit those areas so that they would see the situation in order to make proper interventions.

  “As winter approached, we have no warm clothes and there is nothing we can do from the little that I get from the grant. I used it all in buying mealie meal,” said Gogo Shongwe.

  On the other hand, Dumsile Tsabedze from Luvatsi urged government to look deeper into the issue of Orphaned and Vulnerable Children for she said it was painful for them as community members to watch children caring for themselves.

  “My neighbor died, she was living with her three children of which two are boys and a girl.

  “The children were left with their uncle, who then left them all by themselves with no house after the one they occupied collapsed,” said Tsabedze.

  Tsabedze said it was through mercy, for her family was also big and starving, that she was able to intervene to keep the children’s bodies and souls together. She expressed her gratitude to Cabrini Ministries, who also came to the rescue of the orphans and took them to the hostel.

  The missionaries take care of the children fully even during school holidays when they are with her.

Photo by Jane Gillooly

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If you'd like to learn more about Gogo Shongwe, she is also featured prominently in a documentary about Gogos (grandmothers) called Today the Hawk Takes One Chick by Jane Gillooly, which was filmed in our area. The film shows Gogo Shongwe's day-to-day inspiring struggles to care for her grandchildren and raise the next generation. Click on the link below to go to the website where you can purchase the DVD of the film and learn more about the film project.


http://www.der.org/films/hawk-takes-one-chick.html

This is another of Gogo Shongwe's grandchildren that lives at the Cabrini Ministries hostel.

There is hope in the children of the next generation- you can see it! These children have so much potential. And it is up to all of us to honor that and support orphaned, vulnerable, and needy children, so they can grow up and bring the world their best.

Blessings, love, and thanks to all who support the works,
Srs. Barbara and Diane

Living Cycle of Hope

This is Ncamsile. She is an employee at Cabrini Ministries. She is HIV+ and 29 years old.

Ncamsile discovered she was HIV+ in 2004, when she was working as a teacher, and found one morning she could not get out of bed. This is often the case in Swaziland- people do not acknowledge more subtle signs and symptoms of disease, and often seek health care only when gravely ill, probably because of a lack of health knowledge and the lack of a reliable system from which to receive care. Ncamsile's CD4 (or T-cell) count was only 100 when she first sought treatment, which is considered late-stage AIDS and is a life-threatening level of illness. Her sister came in for treatment as well, Sr. Diane went out to see and try to treat her, but she passed away soon after. Ncamsile also lost another sister and brother to the disease. Ncamsile is responsible for raising her sister's two children who were orphaned now.

Photo:Luis Maximiano

Once she was on ARV treatment, she responded very well. She had to leave her job and recuperate for a month until she felt her health return. When she felt well again, she applied for a job at Cabrini Ministries; we hired her in February of 2005. At first she worked as the residential manager of the hostel, then she got more and more involved with healthcare. She also began to disclose her HIV+ status publicly.

Photo:Luis Maximiano

Swaziland is a country where HIV+ status has been highly stigmatized, especially in the more traditional, rural areas. Even though many people have become HIV+ and died of AIDS, people avoid talking about it directly, instead saying that a person was "very sick" or had "the plague". Shame, fear and ignorance keep people quiet about HIV/AIDS, and it has the very detrimental effect of delaying important preventions like testing and treatment. Ncamsile is the first person that has revealed her status in the local area where she was well known. This takes so much courage and self-esteem and we respect her so much for that.

Photo:Luis Maximiano

Because she has been willing to disclose her HIV+ status, she has become what is known as an "expert client"- someone who can speak from their own experience to others about living with HIV/AIDS. When she speaks, the community listens. Because she is a local Swazi, her voice has much more authority than even a nurse or an outsider. We are in the process of developing a formalized community health education program, and she will head that up. It is people like her doing community education that destigmatize HIV/AIDS and help save people's lives through sharing information. Also the naturally forming communities we see in our healthcare department, such as people riding together in our vehicles to get treatment, coming together at the walk-in clinic to get ARV treatments, or coming to get food parcels at the same time, are a naturally built open support system that helps patients to share their HIV status and actively seek care without shame.


As an employer, Cabrini Ministries has an attitude of affirmative action for people living with HIV/AIDS. When we have a job position open, and two equally qualified people apply but one of them is HIV+, we would choose to hire the HIV+ person. There are a few reasons for that. First because HIV/AIDS strikes the young, working population who are usually the main breadwinners for the whole extended family. The person’s family has probably already been undermined by the person’s illness. Also, we can never overlook the importance of psychosocial support. The HIV+ person needs to have meaning, purpose, and hope in their lives to go on, and one of the things that gives anybody hope is a job. If you have a healthy person and a person who thought they were going to die of HIV/AIDS, a person who thinks they’re going to die needs more hope and things to give them hope.

(Drawing by one of the OVC kids in the hostel)

Ncamsile recognizes the importance of sharing her experience with her community, and works at giving all she can to the orphans she raises at home and in the hostel, and to the patients that are sick like she was in the past. Our employees at Cabrini Ministries like Ncamsile are a part of a living cycle of change, regeneration, and hope. Thanks to everyone that keeps the spirit of such good work alive everywhere out there and at Cabrini Ministries here.

Love,
Srs. Barbara and Diane

Easter Blessings to All From Cabrini Ministries in Swaziland

Dear Friends, Benefactors, and Readers,

A blessed Easter Season to each and all of you from Cabrini Ministries in Swaziland.

The Lenten and Easter Seasons are a time to reflect on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Here in Swaziland Sr. Barbara and I do this by reflecting, discussing, and meditating on the life, passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus as described in the Scriptures and in the ongoing life, passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus in the people and situations which Cabrini Ministries serves.

One of the scripture readings for Good Friday from Isaiah 52 says:

There was no stately bearing to make us look at him, nor appearance
that would attract us,
Spurned and avoided by men; suffering, accustomed to infirmity,
One of those from whom men hide their faces,
Spurned, held in no esteem

This Passion of Christ as described in Isaiah continues today in so many countries in this world. We see it continuing in Swaziland as it is crushed by suffering – small, forgotten, powerless in the grand scheme of things, made weaker and weaker by the loss of grandparents, parents, children, brothers, sisters, cousins to HIV, AIDS and TB.

In the midst of humiliation, powerlessness, and suffering Jesus knew He was deeply loved by God and trusted God to save Him. The people of Swaziland served by Cabrini Ministries also know and trust in God’s love and salvation each day.

How is that possible? It is possible through the great kindnesses and help received from friends and benefactors like yourselves. There is new life and resurrection each time the children, the sick, the hungry, and homeless here in the lowveld know that education, medicine, food, shelter, clothing are available to them through your generosity. With great resilience the people gain hope from each kindness received.

We wish to thank you for bringing resurrection all through the year to thousands served here by your generosity. God is not outdone…you will receive more than you can ever give.

A blessed Easter Season,

Srs. Diane and Barbara

Healing and Caring- One Person At A Time

Hello out there!


Looking through the recent photos we took of the orphans at the hostel for sponsorship (Click here for more info about sponsorship), we were reminded that each child and teenager have their own distinctly individual personalities, backgrounds, and care requirements.




It is the same with our healthcare patients.


Photo: Luis Maximiano

When we are trying to deal with a complicated problem like HIV/AIDS and its secondary effects on a society, such as tuberculosis infection, poverty, and orphaned children, we've realized that the only way to tackle it is to take each individual on a case-by-case basis, one person at a time. This approach takes huge commitment, as it is labor intensive, organizationally intensive, and resource intensive. But, we believe it is the only way to make real change.


Considering problems like HIV/AIDS in Swaziland, it is easy for outsiders to just hear numbers and statistics, and lose connection to the people that are facing these issues. Here is a statistic: UNICEF says by 2010 there will be 150,000 orphans and vulnerable children under the age of 15 in Swaziland. Here is the human reality of it: How can this many vulnerable children be on their own? Knowing how much individual care and love each child on this earth needs for their development, the reality of these statistics is heartbreaking. But we move forwards, one unique child at a time, and try to support their growth and healing- physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Each child, and each person, is precious and wonderful.



Below is a link to an article about the thousands of orphans in the small country that cannot afford the fees to go to school (there is no public school in Swaziland), and how the government is failing on their promise to support them.

SWAZILAND: School gates close on orphans
Photo: IRIN
Vulnerable children at a Neighborhood Care Point

We do consider our commitment to personal care and attention of the individuals in our community the key to success. One of the specifics we're working on now is developing a formal educational program for the OVC kids that ensures an individual approach to each child's development. We've hired three new professional teaching staff that will help us design individual programs for the children and teenagers. And we've forged an exchange relationship with Cabrini College, to share skills and experience across the world. We'll keep you updated on that...



Thanks for your support- it really makes a difference in these individual lives.
Blessings & love,
Srs. Barbara and Diane

Sr. Diane on CBS News

Hi Everyone,

We're excited to share the following video news link with you: it features Sr. Diane and Thandiwe ministering to an HIV/AIDS patient in our community, as part of a CBS Evening News story about President Bush visiting Africa on behalf of PEPFAR (The US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief).

Thanks to Sarah Carter and CBS News for visiting us and reporting on the issues here. The work continues today...

Blessings & love to all,
Srs. Barbara and Diane

Quick Update

Hi everyone! A few quick items of interest for you:

CBS EVENING NEWS VISIT
CBS News (a major network in the USA) sent reporter Sarah Carter to do a news story in Swaziland on HIV, AIDS, TB and the PEPFAR funding (The US President's Emergency Program for AIDS Relief) which has been distributed all over Africa. This is in preparation for President Bush's visit to Africa. Cabrini Ministries hosted them here all day. They took footage of our drop-in center, then accompanied one of our nurses on home visits to four different patients. The reporter interviewed Sr. Diane, and the patients and Thandiwe (our nurse). This will probably air on Monday and possibly Tuesday night, although she said it could come on as early as Saturday. It was a great day and the reporter may return in the future to do more work with us. We will post more information on the blog as it becomes available, but if you happen to watch the CBS Evening News, look out for us!

TODAY THE HAWK TAKES ONE CHICK- MORE SCREENINGS
Jane Gilooly's film Today the Hawk Takes One Chick, which was filmed in our community and shows the health care services we provide from one of our staff member's perspective, premiered at the ICA in Boston, MA to a sold-out house. Jane & crew did a great job portraying the issues at hand, and the universality of the struggles people here are facing. Evoking both tears and laughter in the audience, this film puts human faces and a human connection with the issues and statistics you hear us talking about. More screenings in the future are listed below at the MFA in Boston:

Boston, MA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS - MFA Remis Box Office: 617-369-3306
March 20 Thursday 8:00 pm with director Jane Gillooly
March 22 Saturday 2:30 pm Co-presented with the LEF Foundations “Filmmakers Face to Face” program, with director Jane Gillooly
March 23 Sunday 1:00 pm with producer Tracey Kaplan
March 27 Thursday 2:00 pm
March 29 Saturday 1:00 pm with executive producer Pat Daoust
April 6 Sunday 5:45 pm

OFF TO A GOOD SCHOOL WITH FEES PAID
We posted last time about 'C', our OVC hostel kid who worked extra hard to catch up to his grade level, and managed to achieve scores on his national exam that were in the top 2%. We weren't sure how we were going to be able to afford all of C's school fees and costs, which amount to several thousand dollars. The good news to report is that someone has pledged to support him and he will be moving forwards in a good school, working hard, making great progress, and being an inspiration to the other kids.

(That's C on the right- smiling!)

Blessings & love to all,
Srs. Barbara & Diane

Slow and Steady Progress: Working through the storm damage and national exams

Greetings to all,

First we want to update everyone on the storm rebuild & clean-up. The damages were extensive and we are still picking up the pieces. We've had assessments done and repair work has begun around the Mission.

Though this storm has been an unforeseen and difficult situation for us to bear, it warms our hearts that a few individuals out there have been moved so far to respond quickly with help. We extend deepest thanks and appreciation to our supporters. We met our goal of getting the kitchen fixed and functioning for the return of the hostel children last Monday, so we all could cook and eat as normal. We do have many more repair goals to reach ASAP (such as fixing holes in the roof, replacing damaged furniture, etc.) but with your support we feel part of a great family of friends that will help to ensure our works will continue. (Click here to link to the Cabrini Mission Foundation and make a donation.)

We have a few items of good news we want to share with you…


(photo by Luiz Maximiano)

We are pleased to announce we were able to take in a few more children and the number of OVC (orphaned & vulnerable children) at our hostel is now up to 141. These children receive all basic care such as food, shelter, clothing, school fare, and healthcare, as well as educational, social, and emotional care and support. We will hold a meeting next weekend where we invite the remaining extended family of all the children (like a Parent’s Day), we will honor special achievers, and we will especially welcome our children new to the hostel.


Also, recently 17 of our seventh graders took their national exams that are required for entering high school. We are so proud of our kids, because everyone passed. Also, one boy received a merit, which means he was in the top 2% in the nation (23,000 kids took these tests) in the scores. We also had two kids that received what is known as ‘first class’ scores, which are in the top 13% of the nation.


It is difficult to express how important this is for these children’s lives. They have the opportunity to get into better high schools now, and getting past grade 7 is a real achievement for rural people that live in the bush. Many of these children’s parents- if they were alive- would not have been able to get past grade 7 or have much schooling at all. So this might be the first generation to achieve this, and the families are beyond proud. Also, the children can feel the self-esteem of being a normal kid- not just an orphan with no chance and no future.


This is our ‘merit’ kid- “C.”- he is 17 years old. Both of his parents have been dead for years. His mother died in a particularly traumatic way: pregnant with her fourth child, she collapsed while walking some distance on foot, and she and her unborn baby were found dead on a roadside. C.’s father was abusive to him, and C. was starved and neglected. He was suicidal at 11 years old, when he came to the hostel to live with us. That was also when he started first grade.

C. has been in our bridge school program where he has been able to complete several school grades in a year to catch up with his age group. His teacher reports that he is an excellent student who works hard, is respectful, and looks to the future. C. has no family left- no extended family to stay with at school break time (Read more about school break time here), so one of our staff members who works in the hostel has taken him in and allowed him to come to his homestead and be part of his family.

(photo by Ryan Phelps- Pediatrician in Swaziland)

C. and the three other bridge school kids who work so hard and are so self-motivated to learn helped to motivate the other 13 kids in a positive peer pressure way. Because they were very much into school, seeking out more learning opportunities, doing homework, studying, helping their peers, and making learning fun and good, their influence rubbed off on the other kids, and school has become ‘cool.’

We had promised that if all 17 kids passed, we would have a party for them. The day we had the party, Brian Gaisford of Hemingway Photographic Safaris had come to visit with his safari group from the US. (Read about how Brian & his safari group bring items like shoes overseas with them here.) Brian and his group managed to bring about 150 pairs of shoes, as well as clothing and art supplies, in their extra luggage- which is incredible! And greatly appreciated...




The safari group joined us for the special dinner we had for the kids, where we had chicken and other favorite foods, presented these kids with awards, and did our best to applaud their efforts. I think they all felt very special that day, which is the best kind of feeling, to support them and help them rise above terribly traumatic pasts.


We can directly credit this remarkable success to the bridge school and afterschool tutoring programs. All the work that goes into supporting these children and alleviating the social stressors on them is showing results: providing real educational and social enhancement opportunities. This is cause to celebrate!

(photo by Luiz Maximiano)

Blessings and love,
Srs. Barbara & Diane

PS. If any of you are in the New England/Boston area, please be sure to go see Jane Gilooly's film about Swazi grandmothers, or 'gogos', Today the Hawk Takes One Chick, which she filmed in our community. It's showing at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, on Saturday 2/7/08 at 7 pm. For tickets and directions, go to: http://www.icaboston.org/programs/film/

"Picking Up the Pieces" Article by Rev. Ken Jefferson

We are still cleaning up after the storm that hit us a few weeks ago. Below is an article written by our friend Reverend Ken Jefferson, a Scotsman, a Baptist Minister, and the pastor of the Mbabane Chapel. This article appeared in the local paper here- the Swazi Observer. We met him a while ago, because he writes a wonderful weekly column in the Swazi Observer from a theological perspective and we called him to thank him for it- the rest is history.

He came to St. Philip's the morning after the storm to see for himself and generously helped us. He has also helped us in the past; last winter, through Rotary, he got us 100 much-needed blankets. His articles are always well-written and inspiring and we offer this to you to provide a window into what we are experiencing now, and to offer hope and faith to all in difficult times.

Blessings and love,
Srs. Barbara and Diane



"PICKING UP THE PIECES" by Rev. Ken Jefferson

In the days between Christmas and New Year there was a storm. It struck in the late afternoon, and for many places across the country, it was just another storm. We have them and we cope with them throughout this season.

However this storm hit one small area with exceptional force, causing major damage. In fifteen brief minutes it swept through the St. Philips Mission, lifting roofs of houses, taking down power lines, tearing down trees, leaving the nuns who run the orphanage with a repair bill that will run to as much as half a million Emalangeni.

A few months ago, the Mbabane Rotary Club provided a hundred blankets for the children being looked after at St Philips, and in this emergency the nuns contacted me, as president of the club. They reached out for assistance in the crisis that had overtaken them.

They had already contacted a former volunteer, now working with the US embassy, and with this young man I quickly made my way to the orphanage, to see and survey the damage at first hand. It was a scene of real devastation.

The two nuns, Sister Diane and Sister Barbara had endured a frightening experience. The wind came with such force that it lifted the tiles of the roof of their house. Then torrential rain fell and soaked everything inside. The hours of the night were long and difficult. One of the staff lost his possessions when his small house was wrecked. The kitchen which feeds over 130 children was smashed up, the dormitories had holes in the ceiling, and the church which stands at the heart of the mission had sustained substantial damage.

For the sisters there was more than the element of physical fright in their experience. Heartbreak followed in the wake of the storm. To have the work they love and the service they offer dealt such a severe blow in such a short time seemed to be a stunning setback, just at the time when the work of the mission is so critically needed. They realised that plans will have to be changed. Before there can be the dream of expansion, there will a necessary period of repair and consolidation.

It would be my prayer that the Catholic community in this and in other countries will learn of the disaster that struck St. Philips and become significantly involved in repairing the structures. This is a time for Diocesan leadership to come to their aid, and to demonstrate even in cash-strapped Swaziland, practical and physical help can be brought to bear, effectively and quickly. It would be nothing short of a disgrace, were the sisters to find themselves lacking in the support they deserve, and one can only hope and pray that this will prove to be an hour in which their will be the best and most generous expression of local Christian love and solidarity. Oddly and sadly enough, Christian churches are not always fast or first to dig their hands into their congregational or national purses, when funds are required, nor are they as ready as might be supposed to roll up their sleeves and get stuck into hard work on behalf of brothers and sisters in the faith, in spite of their being taught that there is no duty like the duty of loving one another, which is the essential badge of discipleship and in and of itself an essential witness to the world.

But even as I make these points, I know as I do so, that Sister Diane and Sister Barbara have not and will not allow themselves to be overwhelmed, nor are they sitting back and waiting for help to come from one quarter or another. Indeed even by the time I arrived at the mission they had somehow or another got a work force busy, and at a time of national holiday, had somehow managed to get men working on replacing tiles on the roof, and they were arranging to have as much made wind and water tight as they could.

What especially impressed me was the fact that shocked though they were by all that had happened, in no sense had they given way to despair, or descended into self pity. Indeed their primary concerns were not for themselves, but for the members of the mission staff who had suffered loss. Even in an hour of radically changed circumstances, these ladies had not buckled under pressure. They were evidently made of sterner stuff, and just maybe that sterner stuff has a name. It is called faith. It is faith that triumphs in adversity.

I am sure that these nuns have lived lives in which they have been trained in prayer and in meditation. They have spent years of their lives learning to trust God in all things, and this is for them an hour when the hidden life of devotion reveals its true worth, in the discipline of picking up the pieces and starting over.

And maybe we need their example at this special time in our own lives. As we have entered a new year, it will certainly bring us all kinds of storms to be faced. There will be days when our personal sky goes dark and we will feel threatened. We may have to face forces that are terrifying, and find ourselves having to face devastating times. Will we be able to come to terms with tough times? Will we be able to cope and to care enough to keep on going, when it would be easier to give up and cave in?

It would be my prayer that many of the readers of this column will remember the words of Jesus who called His disciples and still calls us to ‘have faith in God.’ Because faith- real faith- is not something that pays dividends in the good times. Faith endures. Faith holds us up, keeps us together even when our world is blown apart. Faith is for every circumstance, and like love and hope it lasts for ever.

By the way of you want to donate to the rebuilding of this orphanage you can phone the sisters on 602-2475 and ask for Sister Diane.

Pastor Ken Jefferson is pastor of the Mbabane Chapel, Makhosini/Ridge Street. The chapel meets for worship every Sunday. Youth Bible class at 9.30.am. is followed by Morning Worship at 10.30. The J team for kids happens at the same time and there is a crèche in operation for the very small children. You are warmly invited to attend this growing family church. Email revjeff@realnet.co.sz or phone 638 2290.

Apparently there is little or no insurance cover on most of the facilities, and to start the reconstruction process will involve the sisters in the hard work of finding funding to rebuild.

Rebuilding With Faith After The Storm

We wanted to send word out to our worldwide community about the storm that hit us here at St. Philip's Mission.

On December 26th, at about 4 PM, a heavy rain started, followed by hurricane force winds, then a tornado. The storm was severe and did major damage. Among some of the damages: the roof to the house over our living room was blown off, we lost the whole kitchen to the children's hostel, we lost our maintenance and storage office, the roof on the girl's hostel was damaged and leaked and ruined bedding and other items, we lost a newly planted crop of chilies, etc. A lot of trees and debris were downed around the Mission so much that we could barely get around. We are estimating that the storm did about $30,000 in damages just to our facilities. Many of our community members in the area lost their homes, because the homes are not very strongly built in the first place. Electricity lines and telephone lines and cell phone towers were down all over the place, and it's been very hard to reach people. Miraculously, we haven't heard of anyone in the entire area that was hurt in the storm.

We are staying strong in spirit and just trying to find the continuous energy to deal with all of the additional challenging demands of cleaning up after the storm, on top of our already demanding healthcare and orphan care efforts. We pray for the homeless now and for the support and strength to rebuild to continue to provide love and care to those in need.

Blessings and love,
Srs. Barbara & Diane

Happy New Year- Profile of a Child: Hlekisile

We want to wish everyone a very Happy New Year, and offer a story of hope and new life for the New Year about one child we care for.


This is Hlekisile. Hlekisile has one of the most tragic backgrounds of any of the children. Sometimes it's difficult to talk about the children's stories, but we believe it is important because it shows how a child can bounce back, and that there is a lot of hope for these children for brighter futures.

While her father was dying of AIDS, her mother was murdered, supposedly by the father's family- she was accused of "bewitching" her sister-in-law. Her father died 6 months later of AIDS. After that, the eight children in Hlekisile's family shuffled around between homelessness and the homesteads of extended relatives, starving and being severely mistreated.

We discovered the children homeless in 2006 on our home-visits. Hlekisile is the youngest, and she has some siblings in the hostel with her. She is 11 years old, and she is finally going to school. She is well-behaved and enjoys playing with her friends at the hostel. She is part of a dance group and a choir group.


Hlekisile needs extra love, care, and kindness, but you can see from the photos how she beams out a genuine light. We consider her a small success story because these kids are facing so much opposition in their lives- and just to have them go to a primary school is such a huge achievement.

Blessings and thanks to our wonderful community around the world for the New Year!
It's been said many times- but we see it directly- hope for the future is found in the light and love of the children of today.

Love,
Srs. Barbara and Diane