Global Fund Builds Up Swazi Families
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Tim Newell and Roger Greenman (standing) and Jane Greenman (l.) and Cath Garner (r.) seated, take a break from their service activities at Cabrini ministries. |
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Global Fund Monies Received
Recently, Cabrini Ministries in Swaziland, Southern Africa received monies from the Global Fund to build houses for orphans and for the elderly.
The purpose of the Global Fund is to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. As of mid-2007, the Global Fund Board has approved more than 7.7 billion USD for programs in 136 countries. Together with the efforts of many implementing partners, Global Fund-supported programs have already saved 1.8 million lives. Cabrini Ministries has been partnering with the Global Fund.
To date Cabrini Ministries has completed 20 of the 35 houses which have been planned. Construction on the remaining 15 is underway. These houses are single room structures, made of cement block.
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Jane Greenman (l.) and Cath Garner (r.) are seated outside one of the houses built with the Global Fund donation. |
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The money for the house construction is the end of the Global Fund, Round 2, said Sr. Diane Dalle Molle, MSC who heard that money was available from this Global Fund and asked NERCHA (National Emergency Response Council on HIV/AIDS) which is the principle recipient of these monies in Swaziland, if Cabrini Ministries would be eligible to receive these funds. The answer was yes.
Cabrini Ministries received approximately 600,000 Emalangeni which is the equivalent of approximately 80,000 USD. Sr. Diane signed the contract with NERCHA on June 27th and received these monies on July 3rd. Since the amount of time they had from the reception of these monies to the actual expenditure of these funds was short, they needed to make each day count. If not, they would need to return these monies to the Global Fund.
Construction Efforts Moves Quickly
Cabrini Ministries started buying materials immediately in early July and began making the blocks. With this Global Fund money the building project is under Cabrini Ministries’ control and we will be paid for our costs rather than having to absorb the costs.
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A farewell party was held for the Australian group. Jane Greenman and Cath Garner dressed in traditional garb and learned some of the native dances. From left: Tfobhi Mamba, Cath Garner, Philisiwe Shabangu, Ntombi Gamedze, Jane Greenman, Jane Simelane |
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Of the structures some will be for the children at our hostel and some will be for patients from our Health Care Outreach This is not our core business, it is a tremendous stress on the organization but a worthy stress because of the great good it does. We plan to have this entire “project" completed before the end of the year.
Cabrini Health Australia brought 5 volunteers, CEO Roger Greenman and his wife, Jane, Mission Integration Director Cath Garner, Henk Bos, a former long term Cabrini Ministries volunteer, Tim Newell, a carpenter with Cabrini Health, and Lew Saliba, former CFO of Cabrini Malvern in September to help with the construction. Originally, the Sisters suggested to them that they build two houses for the children---which they agreed to do. Subsequent to that time, Cabrini Ministries received this funding (the whole thing ---request, approval, signing, and obtaining the money was less than 2 weeks) so when they came they were a part of the "labor" for this project. ~ Srs. Barbara Staley and Arlene Van Dusen
Cabrini Health’s Cath Garner picks up the story from here:
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Tim Newell, a carpenter at Cabrini Health in Australia lends a hand repairing the shelves at the boys’ hostel at Cabrini Ministries |
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Cabrini Health’s 1st International Mission Immersion
Cabrini Health’s first international ‘mission immersion’ program was conducted September 4 – 17, 2008 with a visit to Cabrini Ministries at St Philip’s Mission in the Low Veld area of Swaziland. Following the MSC guidelines for short-term international missionary experiences, the program had both a service and formation component.
We were warmly welcomed by Sr Diane Dalle Molle MSC and Sr Barbara Staley MSC. They provided an overview of the two arms of their work: HIV/Aids healthcare outreach, and the hostel program caring for orphan and vulnerable children. They coordinated our program to ensure that we had the opportunity to experience the scope of their work as well as providing service.
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Jane Greenman, wife of Roger Greenman, Cabrini Health CEO, gives a hug to Khululiwe, one of the children with AIDS at Cabrini Health. |
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The service priorities changed from day to day and our best intentions were hampered by the 200 km return journey to the nearest city; the poor state of the roads; the lack of equipment and supplies available for purchase or hire (and our reliance on always having had access to the right tool for the right job); the language barrier with the local people; and the 35 degree temperature (96 degrees Fahrenheit) in which we were working. Despite these limitations, we were able to make a service contribution by painting some of the houses the Sisters had recently had built for children and the elderly on the homesteads, replacing shelves in the boys hostel and hostel kitchen, helping to fix the pump that supplies St Philip’s with water and reviewing and developing appropriate financial administration practices and policies for Cabrini Ministries’ work.
Unfortunately for us, the King declared an additional week of school holidays as part of the ‘40/40’ celebrations (40 years of independence and the King’s 40th birthday), which delayed the children’s return to the hostel and limited our time with them. However, using the ‘bush telegraph’, Sr Barbara managed to get the children back in time to put on a two-hour concert of singing, dancing and the odd-four act play in honor of our visit. The children have maintained a strong link to their culture and identity and it is clear that, despite the trauma that they have suffered, singing and dancing is an important part of their lives.
A True Immersion Experience
We experienced the reality of life in the Low Veld in our visits to the homesteads. The area around St Philip’s is experiencing severe drought, and there is little vegetation other than a variety of acacias and cacti. Most homesteads comprise several huts, usually built of sticks and mud. There is no sanitation, no electricity, and no running water. Every day we saw the people walking down to the small pools that had been dug in the dry riverbed to collect water for drinking, cooking and washing. The cattle were also being taken to this water source twice per day.
We shared meals with the Sisters, the other volunteers and visitors there at the time. We met frequently, prayed together and attended Sunday Mass, drawn to the Church by the wonderful harmonizing of the children singing.
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Cath Garner, Mission Integration Director at Cabrini Health, is pictured with the child of a Cabrini Ministries staff member |
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Making A DIfference
We learned that Swaziland currently has a population of approximately 900,000 people, down from 1.1 million in less than five years. As a result of HIV/Aids epidemic, half the population is now under 16 years of age and there are very few people left in the 16 – 34 year old aged group. With more than forty percent of the population HIV positive (sixty percent in the Low Veld area), this crisis is going to continue for years to come. Despite the enormity of the problem, it is clear that Cabrini Ministries is making a real difference to the lives of the people in the St Philip’s area.
The Sisters expressed their gratitude for Cabrini Health’s support over many years and the personal involvement of all those who sponsor children in the Hostel program. As for the travelers, although we have returned to our first-world existence, the images and memories of the experience will be carried with us forever.
Learn more about Cabrini Ministries in Swaziland: www.mothercabrini.com/ministries/swaz.asp
Read the Cabrini Ministries blog: cabrini-ministries-swaziland.blogspot.com
Learn more about Cabrini Health, Australia: http://www.mothercabrini.com/ministries/malvern.asp
Visit the Cabrini Health, Australia website: http://www.cabrini.com.au
Watch a video on Cabrini Health: http://www.cabrini.com.au/cabrinihealth/cabrini-story-video.asp
Learn more about the Global Fund: http://www.theglobalfund.org/EN
Support Cabrini Ministries: http://www.cabrinifoundation.org