SURVIVE-MIVA

(Missionary Vehicle Association)

Registered Charity No. 268745

Over 37 years’ experience funding essential transport

in the developing world.

Vehicle Grants

2010

THE YEAR 2010 AT A GLANCE

During 2010, a total of two hundred and nineteen different modes of transport

were provided thanks to donations received in the course of the year.

This total was comprised of the following mix:

~ 16 Ambulance/community health outreach vehicles ~ 29 motorbikes

~ 2 outboard motors ~ 1 boat with outboard motor ~ 1 autorickshaw

~30 mules ~ 140 bicycles

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Distribution by country:

A total of 53 grants were made to Diocesan accounts overseas, for in-country

purchase of the above vehicles in a total of eight countries:

Health/outreach vehicles: 9 to India, 3 to Uganda, 3 to Nigeria, 1 to Peru.

Motorbike/moped/scooter grants: 22 to India, 4 to Uganda, 2 to Mozambique,

1 to Tanzania

Autorickshaws; 1 to India

Boat/outboard motor : 2 to the Democratic Republic of Congo, 1 to Uganda

Bicycles: 65 to Uganda, 50 to Tanzania, 25 to Mozambique

Mules: 30 to Ethiopia

Total funds transferred amounted to some £303,515, subject to exchange rate fluctuations and an average £21 bank charge per transfer. Audited

figures are, of course, published in our Trustees’ Annual Report, available on request.

VEHICLES FUNDED DURING 2010 SM 3436 Toyota Hilux for St Mary’s Clinic,Yadim, Diocese of Yola, Nigeria

Franciscan Sister of the Divine Motherhood (FMDM) Sr Celsus Nealon, originally of St Patrick’s Parish, Leeds, is Nurse-Manager of this rural health outpost, located in Adamawa State, in the north east of the country. She tells us: “We are situated close to the Atlantika mountains bordering Cameroon, where the Islamic Faith predominates. We are the only Sisters undertaking healthcare in this Diocese, and good relations exist between our two Faiths. The Sisters often meet the Yola Muslim Village Leaders in Muslim/Christian dialogue, which we see as vital to building peace in this part of the country.” The clinic ministers to Fulani nomadic people, subsistence farmers and herdsmen of both faiths, whose settlements and villages are reached by trekking. In early 2010 an outstation was opened, employing local staff in an area where no health facilities existed. The nearest government hospital is three hours distant, but patients must be in possession of ready cash for treatment. Of St Mary’s, Sr Celsus says: “Staff include a Traditional Birth Attendant, a lab technician and a registered nurse. The elderly population is, as yet, largely illiterate and relies on rituals and charms which breed fear – some ‘remedies’ can prove physically and psychologically fatal. An erroneous belief that vaccines sterilise children also brings fear to the womenfolk, so there is much to do here.” A grant of £23,000 has provided the requested vehicle, and the Sisters have been able to accomplish much since its arrival. Sr Celsus again: “We are forging ahead with our plans and our journeys. We have a vaccine programme for under-fives, nutritional and paediatric care, and run ante and post-natal clinics with our small delivery suite for problematic labour. We can now operate in all seasons, extend our home-based care, and get word to what we call ‘mobilisers’ who go on foot to give advance warning of our visits, which now take place on schedule. This degree of forward planning is vital if we are to consult with village groups on the selection of men and women for in-house training as village health workers.” The case of St Mary’s once more illustrates how the provision of essential transport can make so many other things previously beyond reach take a central place in the planning of the clinic’s work and function. “One place in particular has always been problematic to get to, but our driver, a local with years of experience, manoeuvres the steep incline to the elevated rocky crossing – there is no bridge. We thank all benefactors most sincerely for their contribution to what is such a vital and worthy vehicle.” Grant: £23,000

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SM 3437 Honda Super motorbike for St George’s Catholic Parish, Deomali, Diocese of Miao, Arunachal Pradesh, India.

Situated in the far northeast of India, Arunachal Pradesh (literally, ‘land where the sun rises’) is the largest State in the east of the Indian subcontinent, sharing borders with China to the north, and Burma and Bhutan to the east and west respectively. From Deomali, Fr Jose Michael, of the Missionaries of Faith, told us: “We may be cut off here, but there is a rich tribal culture; people live high in the mountains in interior villages and come down to Tirap for market days. This is a busy parish based in the foothills where we organise pastoral care and give training courses for catechists, as well as organising health and hygiene camps.” Fr Jose has seven villages in the immediate area, but there are many others he can only reach only on market days, when the solitary bus calls, or on foot. “Through our visits and celebration of the Sacraments, there are ample possibilities of spreading the Catholic Faith, but we have to walk three to four hours.” Now mobile, Fr Joe writes back: “We went to Assam, the neighbouring State, to make the purchase. We can reach the villages without much difficulty, and after the village programmes, I am able to come back and continue my work in the school we run for poor tribal children. Together with all my mission volunteers and people of God, I thank you and as I assure you of my prayers, I also count on your valuable prayers for me and for the mission here.”

Grant : £700 SM 3438 - 3502 65* bicycles for the Catechists of St Michael’s

Parish, Wera, Diocese of Soroti, Uganda. St Michael’s, and its thirty-five outstations, can be found in the northeast of the country, and from there PP Fr Bernard Aeko contacted us with a request for his catechists. “The past 28 years of the existence of our Diocese have had periods of civil strife and natural disasters which have affected the people greatly. These include drought and famine, and attacks by the Lord’s Resistance Army. In 2007 the area was affected by floods and in 2009 there was a drought. A lot of people have been displaced and have lost their livelihoods. All these elements have had a negative effect on morale amongst our pastoral workers.” *In this instance, a block grant of £3,400 led to the bulk purchase of seventy-two bicycles at a price of £47 each, due to the size of the order and negotiations with the dealer. Now each catechist (a team of both men and women) has a bike, the outlook has improved: “Our aim was to have a vibrant Christian community frequently visited by the catechists to conduct Sunday services, funerals, and to give guidance on the Faith, in order to have a

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community properly prepared for the reception of the Sacraments.” Fr Aeko continues: “This is now coming about, and despite the swamps and marshes in the rainy season, and the long distances involved, the catechists’ spirits have risen to the challenge. They have more time in the villages, and more time for their own domestic duties. They share the bikes with other family members, and because of the nature of society here, their social standing has improved. They are seen in a more professional light now, and the people are happy that they arrive on time. May the Almighty continue to bless your work for years to come.”

Grant: £3,400 (originally £52 each) SM 3503 Mahindra Bolero ambulance for Crus Niwas Convent, Phalsa, Diocese of Sundergarh, Orissa State, India. Phalsa is a mission station to be found at the crossroads between the States of Orissa, Chattisgarh and Jharkhand, and is made up of some seventy villages spread over a drought-ridden rocky landscape of forests and valleys. The small Dispensary at Crus Nirwas (place of the cross) was begun in 1985 by the Daughters of the Cross of Liege to cater for the health needs of the local subsistence agricultural labourers of the area, and common ailments include snakebites, accidents, complicated delivery of babies and heart problems amongst the menfolk. Sr Superior Mary Rose Tigga, based at the Convent, says: “The only hospital is 40 kilometres away, and often the patients’ condition worsens as they wait for irregular local buses which are mostly unable to take them due to overcrowding. We have lost many like that.” A grant has enabled the Sisters to obtain the only emergency transport in the area, home to some eleven thousand people. They are making steady progress, as Sr Rose outlines in a message received in February of 2011: “For the last seven months we have been able to attend to the sick and needy, including a woman suffering from blood loss after giving birth, a man with acute stomach pains, a child suffering from malaria, an elderly man suffering from asthma, and a boy with jaundice. All had reached us in critical conditions but it was possible to make life-saving treatments. Besides this, we are able to conduct health camps and gather the villagers to explain about hygiene, and there have been fewer cases of malaria since we began. All this has led to the smooth functioning of the Dispensary, and we feel confident that we will be able to reach out to many more with timely intervention. We are grateful for your generosity and kindness.”

Grant: £8,100

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SM 3504 Toyota Hilux for St Francis Clinic, Shavon, Diocese of Jalingo, Taraba State, Nigeria. Located in the northeast of the country, with a predominantly Muslim population, St Francis is the only Catholic Health Centre for miles around, and Augustinian Sr Francisca Aboreng, a nurse and midwife, tells us: “ Patients come to us from all the villages around, and because of the distances they have to travel they have no money for medicines as this has been spent on transportation. Why they insist on coming to us is for the simple reason that we always run tests before prescribing drugs at affordable rates, though for the majority they come to us because they know that with or without money, the Sisters will attend to them, which isn’t the case with both government and other private facilities.” The Sisters outreach work was confined to one village, chosen to act as a ‘hub’, as it is centrally located, but even so there were difficulties: “We have other invitations from village heads requesting us to bring healthcare to them, but we are unable to respond due to the lack of a vehicle – conveying staff, medicines, our microscope and so on on public transport is not only expensive but time consuming and limited to one route. We wait for so long, making us waste time and by the time we get there we are already tired from the long journey on bad roads with reckless driving, and we cannot give of our best.” A grant of £20,600 has revolutionised working practices. In August of 2010, Sr wrote back to give us the latest: “We wish to express our heartfelt gratitude for providing us with mobility. The arrival of the vehicle has greatly improved the quality of our health services and the health of the people among whom we work. Previously, we could only have two clinics once every month, but now we go every week – and on time too, even in the remotest and marginalized areas. In one case recently we had a woman who could not deliver her baby due to transverse presentation. She was left at home for too long before she reached us, and here we could not do much for her. Because of the vehicle, we were able to rush her to the main hospital in the middle of the night where she was attended to by specialists. We hope to do so much more than in the past, and widen our work, despite the bad roads. Kindly remember us and our work in your prayers, as we keep you in ours.”

Grant £20,600

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SM 3505 Mahindra Bolero for Arokia Matha (Our Lady of Good Health) Dispensary, Asah Nikithan, Madurai, Diocese of Sivagangai, Tamil Nadu, India. For the past twelve years, the Ursuline Sisters of Somasca have been present in this area, working alongside Dalit youth and women. There are seventy villages around the Dispensary, but buses only reach eighteen of them. Wishing to expand their work, Sr Maria Paul Thampitharayil writes to explain: “We go mainly on foot, sometimes having to stay in the villages due to lack of communications, which is not safe. We visit the sick, where there is no proper hygiene system and the houses are thatched with no proper flooring, meaning people often get bitten by snakes or scorpions. There is no safe drinking water, and skin diseases, fungal infections, malaria and under weight babies are common, as is anaemia, especially in women.” The Sisters have already formed eighteen self-help groups of between fifteen to twenty women, which provide small-scale loans, and also carry out regular health checkups, and run tailoring classes for those children who do not go to school regularly. With a vehicle now assured, planned work includes the training of in situ health workers at village level, and the expansion of their micro-finance groups to other as yet un-visited places.

Grant: £8,900 SM 3506 Honda Activa motorbike for the Andhra Little Sisters, Shanthi Bavan, Janampet, Diocese of Eluru, A.P., India. Meaning ‘house of peace’ or ‘serenity’, Shanti Bhavan is the residence of the Andhra Little Sisters of Christ community, established in Eluru in 1984. The Congregation itself takes its spiritual foundation from the life and Christian witness of Blessed Charles de Foucauld, murdered in 1916 in southern Algeria, considered a martyr by the Church, and beatified on 13 November 2005 by Pope Benedict XVI. Says Sr Pavithra Kizhakepurackal, the General Superior, ‘We aim to be the ‘ leaven in the dough’, [Luke 13:20-21] in that though we are few working here, by the Grace of God we may through our labours produce something larger and nourishing.’ The Congregation in Andhra Pradesh has 46 professed Sisters in four different locations, and Janampet is a hilly area with thick forest surrounding villages linked by dirt tracks. Sr Pavithra tells us more: ‘We have a small dispensary which treats mainly snake bites. The local fields, where the people spend their days working the

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landowners’ plots, are infested. Because of lack of knowledge and inability to pay, the workers often delay treatment and arrive with big wounds, though many lives have been saved.’ Sr Pavithra continues: ‘Most of those affected get healed completely within a short time, but this just compounds our sadness at the lives lost. If help can be given in time, these are completely preventable deaths.’ Purchase of the motorscooter, a very common sight on Indian roads, was made possible by an Association grant of just eight hundred pounds, and is one of the most cost-effective forms of transport. For the Sisters, it is also one of the most manageable, and virtually maintenance-free. Says Sr Pavithra; ‘…we do not have any institutions of our own, such as schools or hospitals, but our spirituality is to lead a very simple life, placing ourselves at the service of the community, and our Sisters always work in institutions run by the Church. Active apostolate in collaboration with the local Church is one of the important aspects of our Charism. It is because of your help that we can attend to local needs, and also widen our reach now that we are not getting about on foot. All the Sisters are grateful for this help until we can stand by ourselves, and we assure you of our humble prayers for your intentions.’

Grant: £800 SM 3507 Honda Unicorn motorbike for St Anthony’s Mission, Marambady, Diocese of Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, India. Fr Samson Arockiadass PP ministers to some 13,000 people both in Marambady and the twelve villages attached to St Anthony’s. “The roads and paths here are very rocky and filled with stones; I am able to visit the villages only once in three months due to lack of transport. We have youth groups already, but I have to tend to the needs of the Basic Christian Communities that have just been started. As the people work the landowners’ fields during the day, I can say Mass only at six or seven pm, when they are very tired. Here, only about 20% of the cultivable land is under well or tank irrigation, but the tanks are empty due to the failure of the monsoon for the last five years. People really struggle hard even for a single meal a day, so are not as active in the ‘Anbiams’ or parish groups as they could be if I could be with them more often.”

Grant: £880

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SM 3508 Bajaj Pulsar 220cc motorbike for St Peter the Apostle Parish, Kwilamwila, Diocese of Bongaigaon, Assam, India. Bongaigaon is located in northeast India in Assam, and has just twenty-six parishes, having been erected as a Diocese as recently as 2000. Kwilamwila parish dates from 2001, when it was created to tend to the needs of the local small scale farmers. It is sixty-seven kilometres (42 miles) to the nearest main road, according to Parish Priest Fr Joe Basumatary; “…the villages that make up the parish are educationally and economically very poor, though the people are very open towards the Faith. I can manage to visit them, though only once a month [there are twelve villages in all ] due to the distances involved. We have a faith formation programme, and each year we conduct classes to form our communities and prepare for annual First Communions and Confirmation.” Fr Joe adds: “These are good people, who live within a close-knit society with a distinct culture. The elderly are taken care of by the family, and children are loved, with orphans accepted in the families. The spirit of sharing both in times of happiness and sorrow is typical of their tribal culture.” Fr Joe is now making inroads in the area since reception of the grant, and aims to set up regular meetings with the villagers.

Grant: £960 SM 3509 Bajaj Pulsar 220cc motorbike for St Stephen’s Church, Gauripur, Diocese of Bongaigaon, Assam, India. Made in tandem with the grant for St Peter’s at Kwilamwila, a further grant was made to provide a second bike at Gauripur. From there, PP Fr Nitish Marak tells us: “There are sixteen villages in this parish, with a good number yet to be contacted. We conduct adult literacy classes where we can, as illiteracy is a big barrier to progress, and every month on the first Friday the catechists come together to discuss pastoral activities. This is very encouraging for us to move forward with great hope. To expand takes time, as we need to contact new communities with whom we need to establish friendship and invite them to church. We have no vehicle here, but the buses which do run are infrequent and unreliable, and do not reach many of the places we need to reach.”

Grant: £960

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SM 3510 Honda Unicorn for St Paul’s Parish, Alirajpet, Archdiocese of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. Located seventy kilometres [forty-three miles] from Hyderabad city, Fr Yeruva Showreddy, PP of St Paul’s, has 209 families in the immediate area of the parish, as well as two further substations, and several catechumen villages. “Many of the families came to this area some seventy years ago, and depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Only a few people have good houses, and most depend on smallholdings for food, which they cultivate themselves. This mission has yet to grow into a fully-fledged faith-filled community, as the pastoral needs are many while the means at our disposal are few.”

Grant: £860 SM 3511 Mahrindra Bolero for Child Jesus Health Centre, Nalrode, Diocese of Ootty, Tamil Nadu, India. Run by the Sisters of the Destitute, the health Centre covers fifteen villages in all, with a population of approximately 48,000 people. Sr Modesty Paramakkal SD, the Centre administrator, writes: “There is no other medical facility in all this area, and the locals cannot afford to get the treatment from private hospitals, which are very expensive. Most live on 100 rupees (just over £1) a day. About half the children attend school, the rest are left illiterate. They are scheduled caste [Dalits], and struggle to live as human beings.” In the thirteen years that they have been present, the Sisters have built up the dispensary and carry out health visits and sick calls locally, but need to take their skills further afield than the distances they can walk carrying their equipment. They need a vehicle to take the trained staff, including one doctor, to all villages twice a month, where they plan a training programme for local health workers, eye camps, treatment of malnourished children, and awareness-raising on issues such as water-borne diseases. Grant: £ 8,800 SM 3512 Honda XL 125cc motorbike for Abim Catholic Parish, Diocese of Kotido, Uganda. Abim District covers an area of 2,337 square kilometres (902 sqm). The district is part of the Karamoja sub-region, home to an estimated one million Karamojong. The main livelihood activity of the Karamojong is herding livestock, which has social and cultural importance. Crop cultivation is a secondary activity, undertaken only in areas where it is practicable. Due to the arid climate of the region, the Karamojong have always practiced a pastoral transhumance, in other words for 3-4 months in a year, they move

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their livestock to the neighboring districts in search of water and pasture for their animals. The availability of food and water is always a concern and has an impact on the Karamojong's interaction with other ethnic groups, with disputes over cattle not infrequent. From the region, local PP Fr John Bosco Sire tells us more: “I have been at Abim Parish since 2008, and there has never been a form of transport here, which makes my ministry difficult, as there was no means to follow up any work done at the main church. There are no proper roads to our six chapels, but a motorcycle could follow humans and use the paths to the villages. It would also be a great help during the rainy season.” Grant: £3,600

SM 3513 Mahindra Xylo 8-seater 4x4 for the Sisters of St Aloysius Xavier Nagar, Diocese of Eluru, Andhra Pradesh, India. The Sisters have been working in Eluru at the invitation of the Bishop, Rt Rev John Mulagada, since 1984, when they started what we here might term a ‘cottage’ hospital to take care of the poor in and around Eluru itself. Sr Superior Suni Mathew says: “We Sisters of St Aloysius of Gonzaga have been involved in various apostolates according to the needs of the place and times, and currently we are in Xaviernagar to carry out different social welfare activities against the injustice done to the poor by the dominant social class.” These activities include literacy programmes and tailoring classes in some twenty-five villages around Xaviernagar, the furthest being 30 kilometres away. Sr Suni requested an all-terrain vehicle to be able expand their work, and the Association was able to help out via a grant of ten thousand pounds, entirely thanks to you, our supporters: “My special thanks and prayers to all those who made this possible,” writes Sr Suni, “We will always remain grateful to you for the singular kindness shown towards us.”

Once more, the single element we exist to supply – an essential form of transport of some description, has made the Sisters’ work immediately more fruitful: “The staff here include one doctor and two nurses, whom we accompany on our mobile camps. We conduct free checkups and health awareness progammes, and carry out eye camps too. Those who have matured cataracts we bring to our hospital in our vehicle and do free cataract surgery and send them home the next day. We make family visits and educate the people about health and environmental hygiene. In the evening, the vehicle is in use again to go to the villages for evangelization work. A team of seven, including a priest, two Sisters and a full-time catechist join with us. We have added ten more villages to our area of cover, and we can do better service in a systematic way, thanks to your generous aid.”

Grant: £13,100 9

SM 3514 Bajaj Pulsar 220cc motorbike for Our Lady Help of Christians Parish, Diocese of Khammam, Andhra Pradesh, India. Fr Pillemu Angelo, PP of Our Lady’s, has thirteen sub-stations attached to the main church, three of which he describes as ‘catechumen’, in other words, receiving instruction from him in the principles of the Faith, with a view to Baptism. He also works with a team of catechists, but contact is irregular due to the difficulties the distances between them can cause. In common with so many parish priests and Religious in the whole of southern India, he says: “The majority of the people are Dalits or tribals, who work in agriculture or collect wood from the forest to sell as firewood. In addition, they are only available after dusk, as they are out of the villages during daylight hours, and buses do not run after dark.” A motorbike grant has helped avoid such problems and contact with both the parishioners and the catechists engaged in Faith formation has increased from monthly to weekly.

Grant: £ 950 SM 3515 Honda Activa scooter for St Anthony’s Convent, Chintalapudi, Diocese of Eluru, Andhra Pradesh, India. The Congregation of the Sisters of the Little Flower of Bethany, known simply as the Bethany Sisters, were founded in Mangalore in 1921, and today two of their number are based at Chintalapudi. Our contact there is Sr Superior Tresa Cherian, who informs us: “There are twenty-eight sub-stations in St Anthony’s where we have initiated pastoral and social work. Most of the 175,000 Catholics in the Diocese belong to the Dalit Community, and Catholics here are considered to have a very low social status. Most are coolie workers dependent on daily wages.” Sister Tresa and her colleague aim to increase their accessibility to pastoral and social care once mobile, and have plans to set up a children’s parliament and women’s self-help groups in each sub-station.

Grant: £750 SM 3516 Honda CBZ motorbike for Rentachintala Parish, Diocese of Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India. We move next to a Diocese of over twelve and a half thousand square miles, with just eighty-one parishes, though each has many outstations. Guntur is to be found on the east coast of the Bay of

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Bengal, and as Fr Allam Chinnappa tells us; “There are frequent cyclones which play havoc with the infrastructure here, and destroy people’s houses. Only 20% of the population are considered high caste, the rest scheduled tribes. It is very sad that since 2008 we have had little rain and the lands are barren. It is a tough time for me to keep the people in Faith, as they question the existence of God.” Fr Allam has thirteen village sub-stations to visit with the help of the main parish catechists, which he can only manage to do once every two months. “The villagers love to participate in prayer meetings, can see that someone takes an interest in them and their problems, and request me to celebrate Mass at least once a month. Sometimes I have to forego saying Mass and attend other activities as I cannot reach the destination on time.”

Grant: £850 SM 3517 Toyota ambulance for Kyatiri MSMMC Health Centre, Masindi, Diocese of Hoima, Uganda. Built in 2006 and run by the Missionary Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church, Kyatiri Health Centre, is located in mid-western Uganda, and has three wards, for men, women, and children, with a capacity of twenty beds each. From there, Sister-in-charge Sr Maria Goretti Nabwami describes their work: “Every day we receive an average of fifty patients, and these are attended to by four qualified nurses, two midwives, and one laboratory assistant. We carry out antenatal care and many babies are delivered at the Centre, and we immunize the under-fives against the six killer diseases. Because of long distances, many mothers find it difficult to bring their children in, so we take the services as far as we can.” The Sisters operated their outreach work four days a week, and got around mainly on foot. “At first the majority of the staff walked five kilometres or so to the outstations, while medicine kits and other equipment were loaded on a bicycle. This has proven quite limiting.” The Sisters contacted SURVIVE-MIVA in a bid to widen their already successful but limited programme, and have now integrated the different strands of their work to include testing for HIV and counselling, analysis of blood samples, and health awareness campaigns in village schools.

Grant: £26,600

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SM 3518 Toyota Hilux double cab for St Joseph Katimba Health Centre, Diocese of Masaka, Uganda Katimba H.C. can be found some eighty miles to the southwest of Kampala, and just twenty miles from the equator. It caters for a population of over fifty-one thousand, the majority smallholders and their families, where the average age is under twenty years. Sr Rose Asumpta Namatovu, of the Daughters of Mary or Banabikira Sisters, elaborates: “Our major aim is to raise the health standards of the people in our catchment area, which consists of seven outposts in the surrounding villages. Over the past two years we have managed to vaccinate 3,200 of the estimated 4,300 children. Of the estimated 900+ annual births, we know that almost half occur without our intervention, and that increases unnecessary risks to both mother and child.” The Sisters have never had a means of transport at their disposal, and their 4x4 means that the treatment of life-threatening diarrhoea, pneumonia, intestinal worms, and skin infections - commonplace due to lack of clean water – can now be treated more immediately and more effectively.

Grant: £24,800 SM 3519 Bajaj Pulsar 150cc motorbike for R.C.M. Church, Swami Nagar, Koilakuntla, Diocese of Kurnool,

Andhra Pradesh, India Dating from 1967, Kurnool Diocese covers over sixteen and a half thousand square miles, with just forty-six parishes, between them having a total of two hundred and forty-six substations, shared between eighty-five Diocesan Parish Priests. One of their number, Fr Joseph Thota, wrote to us from Koilakuntla, describing his situation thus: “There are thirteen village mission stations, three of which are catechumen. There are no bus facilities to some, and to others only one bus there and back per day. They are irregular, and weekends are busiest, as the people are available only after 8 pm during the week. Sometimes we do not get buses to reach the target villages and thus they loose the administration of Sacraments in the monthly programme.”

Grant: £1,000 SM 3520 – 3569 Fifty Pheonix bicycles for the catechists of Igota Parish, Diocese of Mahenge, Tanzania Igota Parish has 68 out-stations, most about 30 km (approx. 18½ miles) from the Parish headquarters. Fr Revocatus Mpangile states his case: “There are 58 catechists in total and the most active 50, who

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take care of the remotest parts, are each in need of a bicycle, to maintain a Christian witness amongst the communities and to prepare those waiting to receive the Sacraments. Their work also entails visits to schools to teach aspects of the Faith, and to receive support and guidance by attending seminars, workshops, pastoral meetings, and retreats at the Parish headquarters.” A block grant of just over two thousand pounds has now seen them on their way.

Grant: £2,300 (£46 each) SM 3570 Bajaj autorickshaw for Kroot Nilayam Centre, Karunapuram, Diocese of Warangal, Andhra Pradesh, India

The Sisters of Our Lady of Fatima requested an autorickshaw to carry out pastoral work and community activities in the 8 sub-stations they currently cover, up to 6 miles from their immediate Parish base. An alternative to having to walk everywhere carrying their materials would mean that they could then also take their skills and experience to a further 21 villages in more remote areas, where they plan to build on the success they have already had, and organise and mobilise women’s groups to improve literacy, (70% are classed as illiterate) and encourage savings groups, as the people are very poor and most are daily wage-earners. A grant of three thousand pounds has provided the 'three wheeler' they were in need of. Grant: £3,000 SM 3571 Hero Honda motorcycle for Catholic Ashram Sale, Kutuderi, Diocese of Daltonganj, India A double grant coordinated via the offices of the Rt Rev Gabriel Kujur SJ, Bishop of Daltonganj. From Sale, Fr Marcus Baa tells us that he has eleven thousand parishioners in all, from a total of sixteen thousand inhabitants, spread over three outstations. He needs transport to be able to reach the different parish groups and coordinate the activities of the faith formation groups in each station, and ‘sabha’ or married men’s groups, in addition to preparation for marriage and the regular celebration of the Sacraments.

Grant: £900 SM 3572 Hero Honda motorcycle for Catholic Ashram, town and Diocese of Daltonganj, Jharkhand State, India Ordained in 2009, Fr Santosh Ekka is the Parish Priest of Daltonganj Parish (the name coming originally from a Victorian Colonel and anthropologist during the time of the ‘Raj’). The area

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is covered with thick forests and hills, making sick calls, burials, and regular contact with the catechumenate villages attached to Daltonganj Parish almost impossible without transport. Says Fr Ekka: “I hope that the outcome of our pastoral activities will become more effective in the near future. There are already changes taking place in the attitude of the non-Catholic tribals towards the value of education the Church tries hard to provide, and many non-Catholics have come to know the service the Church is rendering to the people. There is a lot of scope among them for pastoral work.”

Grant: £900 SM 3573 Hero Honda motorcycle for Fatima Matha Church, Cheruvumadharam, Diocese of Khammam, A.P., India A Parish with fifteen outstations, and one of the fifty-four in the Diocese, where Fr Emmanuel Chandrala has been Parish Priest for the past eight years. He says: “In some villages we have chapels to celebrate the Eucharist and administer the Sacraments, in others we don’t. I wait for people to finish their work and home activities and we gather in one of the houses of the villagers and conduct prayer services. Very often, people have so many problems, like shelter, illiteracy, and the education of their children, or sickness. They look to the priest to share these with him. It is not because we give them the solutions, but their burden is lighter when someone listens.” Grant: £900 SM 3574 Honda CXT 200c motorbike for Our Lady of the Assumption Parish, Hapuuyo, Diocese of Fort Portal,

Uganda

Hapuuyo Parish is located in western Uganda, and is one of the parishes in a Diocese with just twenty-nine in all. “They are very spread out,” says PP Fr Samson Kateeba Goodluck, “and in my parish there are there are thirty-eight outstations which need regular visits. Our Diocese has nearly one and a half million people of which 46% are Catholics, and we are eighty-four priests. It is a challenge, and I could serve God’s people better if I was more in touch with them. Here, when it is the rainy season, a motorcycle could go through roads and tracks without getting stuck like a vehicle.” Fr Samson has twenty-two thousand parishioners.

Grant: £3,900

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SM 3575 Tata Victor 4x4 for Jeevan Jyothi Centre, PO Majherdabri Village, Diocese of Jalpaiguri,West Bengal, India Meaning ‘Light of Life’, this rural health centre is run by the Daughters of the Cross, and is the first grant we have made in the Diocese itself. Established in 1952, and with an area of over nine and a half thousand kilometres, or nearly four thousand miles, is surrounded by Bangladesh, Bhutan, and the Indian State of Assam. From there, Centre Administrator Sr Sushila Kerketta FC writes: “The locals are tea workers, and each earns about 50-60 Rupees (approx 70p) per day. Recently there was a prolonged lockout of the tea gardens and this caused a great disturbance among the people; many children discontinued their schooling to work in order to support their families, and the Church is doing its best in this crisis to help them.” The Staff at the centre, which caters for some one thousand families, consists of one doctor, an administrator, one nurse, and a nursing assistant.

Grant: £9,600 SM 3576 Mahindra Bolero pickup for Mary Immaculate

Convent, Tirupattur, Diocese of Vellore, Tamil Nadu, South India

The Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco, also often known as the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, have been long established in Vellore Diocese, and the Convent at Tirupattur (meaning ‘place of ten villages’) was built in 1974. Sr Superior Sr Alexander Amali tells us: “The Community here focuses its attention on children, especially young girls, mothers, and refugees. We have three refugee camps nearby, as well as the ten villages we have adopted. In the camps, the people have all had to flee the insecurity and fighting in Sri Lanka. With them, we conduct programmes on issues that affect them; counseling for the little ones who are often traumatised by events for which they are not responsible, child labour and exploitation is common, as are risks to young girls. We have different educational schemes for them, including tailoring, handicraft, pickle-making and typing, designed to help sustain them in the future.” Until the grant was made, the Sisters either cycled or walked up to thirty kilometres (more than eighteen miles) to their furthest port of call.

Grant:£ 8,300 15

SM 3577 & 3578 Two 40 HP outboard motors for the Parishes of Saint Augustine and St Therese, both of Dungu- Doruma Diocese, Democratic Republic of Congo. The most populous francophone country in the world, [France: 65 million, DRC : 71 million] the Democratic Republic of Congo is a vast Central African country which borders the Central African Republic and Sudan to the north; Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi in the east; Zambia and Angola to the south; the Atlantic Ocean to the west; and is separated from Tanzania by Lake Tanganyika in the east. Dungu-Doruma is situated in the very north-east. The coordinator for this grant, Father Michel Muvunguba, describes the Diocese and the two parishes thus: “The people here are 76% Catholic, made up of seven or so ethnic groups, including pygmies, [any group, according to anthropologists - whose adult men grow to less than 150 cm, or 4 feet 11 inches, in average height] all of whom live on less than one US dollar a day. War and political upheaval have impoverished the whole region, and the infrastructure and roads have been destroyed, meaning that bicycles and canoes are the main practical forms of transport. The Parishes of Saint Augustine and St Therese are the two biggest in this Diocese, with the Bomokandi river crossing Saint Augustine’s whereas the Uele cuts St Therese parish in half, with many settlements lying along its banks.” The outboard motors will be fitted to two locally produced boats, and enable the Parish Priests and their team of catechists to reach the one hundred and twenty-three outstations in Saint Augustine’s, along with the ninety-seven that are attached to St Therese’s. An average journey by oar can take between two to four days, whereas the motors can reduce this to a matter of hours.

Grant: £7,300 SM 3579 Toyota Hilux for St Francis Hospital, Buluba, Diocese of Jinja, Uganda Established as long ago as 1934 as a leprosy isolation centre, and run by the Little Sisters of St Francis, the centre officially became a hospital in 2003. Sr Dr Elizabeth Nionzima writes: “We now provide curative, promotive, and preventive health care services to a catchment area of about one hundred and eighty thousand people, who are generally rural agricultural workers or fishermen. Nevertheless, we also receive patients from the neighbouring districts, meaning that the service population is in fact over four hundred thousand. The road network here is purely murram [crushed gravel and earth] which is always a challenge due to potholes and mud in the rainy season and dust when it is dry.” Sr continues: “The main aim we have is to

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improve access to our services through outreaches and community health visits. Currently, most patients reach us late and with complications, and maternal and infant mortality rates from preventable causes is still very high.” The hospital, now with a dedicated vehicle, can increase its visits to fortnightly ones along the shores of Lake Victoria where there is no health unit, concentrating on the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, testing for the virus and counselling for those affected and infected.

Grant:£26,400 SM 3580 & 3581 and 3582 – 3606 One Honda XL125 and one

Honda CT 110 motorbike, and 25 bicycles for the health workers of Carmelo Hospital, Chokwe, Diocese of Xai-Xai, Mozambique

Xai-Xai is a regional capital located close to the Indian Ocean, on the Limpopo River. It is 200 kilometres (120 miles) from the capital, Maputo, and is in a wide, fertile plain where the commonest crop is rice. It is at an elevation of just 32 feet above sea level, and as such it is subject to the dangers of flooding from the river.

Carmelo Hospital is a referral centre for AIDS and TB patients, the former affecting up to thirty percent of the population, and is run by the Daughters of Charity of the Sisters of St Paul.

Sr Dr Maria Elisa Verdú is the Director of services there, and tells us: “We currently have 9,538 cases of patients on anti-retrovirals,” [drugs which can improve the condition of those with HIV] “but one big problem is reaching and following up on these once they have been tested and diagnosed. Many of them are bedridden in their homes or simply do not come back to continue their treatment due to the difficulties and distances involved. We wish to provide a quality service to the poor, and have a team of over fifty volunteer workers to help us. They move about on foot and travel long distances to make contact with others, and have helped reduce mother-to-child transmission rates from 35% to less than 2%. We would like to provide them with a pool of bikes and two small motorcycles, which will also be used by the Sisters for village visits. We will regulate this according to the frequency of visits and the distances involved.”

Grant: £9,700

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SM 3607 Yamaha Dt 175 motorbike for Lugbari Parish, Odupi sub- county, Diocese of Arua, Uganda A Diocese with thirty-six parishes, Lugbari Parish - St Mary Immaculate – is located in the north of the country, and has eighteen chapels or outstations of its own, catering to some 26,500 people, including Sudanese refugees. Fr Simon Aluma PP writes: “A motorcycle would help me reach our small Christian Communities, numbering from 15 to 20 members each – there are seventy of these in the parish as a whole - some more than 50 kilometres [31 miles] distant. With transport, I aim to visit each at least once every year. I would be able to point out to my people the dangers of polygamy, and perhaps help tackle alcoholism, HIV transmission, and early marriages, all of which cause repeated problems.” These specific difficulties form the background to Fr’s pastoral work, and his desire to increase the limited access to the Sacraments his parishioners currently have.

Grant: £3,400 SM 3608 Suzuki Maruti ‘entry level’ saloon car for the Sisters of

St John the Baptist, St Anthony’s Dispensary, Indira Nagar, Archdiocese of Bangalore, Karnataka State, India

The Sisters began their work at the Dispensary in 1998, covering a catchment area of 615 square miles and 65 villages. Sr Superior Sr Ciciliyama Kapplikunnel describes their work and the challenges the Sisters face thus: “This is a predominantly rural area and is remote, so needs are forgotten by the authorities, and the caste and political system oppresses the people, who are scheduled [i.e. considered ‘low’] castes. They are agricultural labourers and marginal farmers – 90% of the population here does not have land of its own - they have no access to basic education and health facilities, and there is no public transport, just bullock carts or the odd passing tractor. Every family has three to six children, and early marriage and frequent pregnancies result in poor health for the mothers, and many malnourished and underweight babies. The mortality rate is quite high. There are others who are too old or vulnerable to visit the Dispensary, and so it becomes necessary to bring medical help to their doorsteps.” In requesting support for a ‘four-wheeler’, the Sisters hope to put into place a mobile health unit to tour their ‘patch’ and carry out immunisation and antenatal care in pre-programmed rotas, tend more closely to the ten ‘SHGs’ or self-help groups currently active, and in time, set up even more, focusing on micro-finance schemes.

Grant: £5,150 18

SM 3609 Hero Honda motorcycle for Dhitpur Mission Centre, Burdwan, Diocese of Asansol, West Bengal, India Asansol Diocese was created from the existing Archdiocese of Calcutta [Kolkata] in 1997, and has a population of thirteen million, just twenty-five thousand of whom are Catholic. Their spiritual needs are catered for by the forty-seven priests of the existing sixteen parishes, all of which have numerous outstations. From Dhitpur parish, Fr Arvind Negi tells us more: “Most of our tribal faithful live in interior villages up to thirty kilometers [20 miles] away, and visiting them is difficult, especially in winters and monsoon, as it becomes dark so quickly; there are no buses or trains, and community expansion is hindered by this.” Fr Negi wishes to be a more regular presence among his parishioners, and continue to strengthen the activities he has already begun, such as the sixteen Basic Christian Communities and the parish youth movement, as well as to tend to those who have been bereaved, to the sick, and to make more scheduled family/home visits.

Grant: £850 SM 3610 Hero Honda motorcycle for Holy Family Parish, Nuta, Diocese of Asansol, West Bengal, India Coordinated together with the above grant, a further motorbike was funded for Holy Family, where the current PP is Fr Stephan de Britto. His parish can be found over 200 kilometres [124 miles] to the northeast of Calcutta, from where he writes: “We have one thousand six hundred families in the parish, and some one hundred and twenty catechumen [receiving instruction in the Faith] families in six mission centres [Fr de Britto has a total of sixty villages to cover] where we can make regular contact. The rest of the villages I can only reach twice a year.”

Grant: £850 SM 3611 Bajaj autorickshaw for Ganded Mission parish,

Archdiocese of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India

Originally from Greater Manchester, Fr Tim Greenway MHM has lived and worked in India for some forty years. He describes the new mission he has begun in Ganded thus: “This is an area totally new to evangelisation. There are many people scattered through the one hundred and five villages of this mandal [revenue area] who in one way or another have come to believe in Christ Jesus, but do not have any connection with a particular church. It is my aim to visit all

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these, and then spread out through all the other villages and form as many communities of believers as possible. The Catholic Church is as yet unknown here, as also - to a great extent - are other denominations.

For this purpose my preferred means of transport is the auto-rickshaw. The reason for this is that it is much cheaper than a car to buy and economical to maintain. Furthermore, and very important since there are such vehicles everywhere, they have a very low profile appearance. Such vehicles come and go in the villages all the time and harmonise with the village background. This vehicle does not give people the unconscious feeling that the Church personnel have lots of money but on the contrary a feeling that we are one of them. In the work of evangelisation a group of four or five people going to visit new people has more weight than just one or two going.” Grant: £2,700

SM 3612 Yamaha AG 100cc motorbike for La Mongala Parish, Lisala, Diocese of Basankusu, Democratic Republic

of Congo

Basankusu is a port situated in the north east of the country, on the Lulonga River, making it well placed to receive and transport local goods via river to the city of Kinshasa – it is the last port of its size before the wilderness of the bush. Being slightly more than 1° north of the Equator, Basankusu has a tropical rainforest climate. There is no real dry season, with monthly rainfall in the town ranging between averages of 69 mm and 213 mm, with most months at the higher end of that range, and average high temperatures over a year are between 30°C and 33°C.

Being close to a major river and enduring frequent, heavy tropical rainfall, Basankusu is prone to the damaging effects of water. In July, 2010, the town was affected by flooding with 1,400 people

being made homeless. Roads, which are not tarmacked, and bridges originating from colonial times, were also affected. Such frequent harsh weather conditions have an effect on the quality of life for local people. Waterborne disease can become more prevalent and the transport of goods, such as food, medicine and trade goods

becomes more difficult. Nevertheless, Fr Paulin Kolumba PP of La Mongala (from the name of the local ‘Mongo’ people) informs us:

“We have an enthusiastic reaction whenever we visit the villages around. Along with the parish catechists, we have been engaging in a general literacy drive with locals, most of whom do not know how to

read and write. We are conscious that here we need to be informed and to adapt to the changes in the world around us.”

Grant: £3,000 20

SM 3613 Hero Honda motorcycle for Nuagaon Parish, Purnapani, Diocese of Rourkela, Orissa State, India Situated in the north east of the country, this Diocese, dating from 1979, has forty parishes with seventy-nine priests in all, catering to a Catholic population of nearly twenty-five thousand people, 97% of whom are considered ‘low’ caste; spread over three hundred and sixty-seven outstations attached to the main parishes. PP of Nuagaon, Fr Rajesh Kumar Minz, writes in to say: “Athough poor and dependent on agricultural labour, the people here have embraced Christianity and have overcome many superstitious beliefs, and their literacy rate has increased because of the activities of the Church. We have ten substations here to attend to where, in the rainy season, we are cut off from communication for five months. We live on hilly slopes that come down from the mountains and the rains flow into the rivers, leaving only muddy trails behind.”

Grant: £750 SM 3614 Hero Honda motorcycle for Ghoghya Parish, Hatibari, Diocese of Rourkela, Orissa State, India Another rural parish, here with fifteen outstations tended to by Fr Bridhichand Xalxo, ordained in 2009. He says: “My aim is to live my life as a true ministerial priest, keeping Jesus as the only centre, and to be at one with Him and with the people. They are deprived of the presence of the Church as they live in different ranges of hills and mountains. I get lots of sick calls as this is a malaria prone area, and there are often deaths due to this. It is not possible to go by bicycle because of the hills to some places, and on foot the distances are too far. I need to go to the substations to celebrate Mass for the people who cannot come to the main parish. A motorbike would help me do my pastoral work more effectively and to reach out to all.”

Grant: £750 SM 3615 Honda XL 125cc motorbike for Sacred Heart Parish, Rwambaizi, Diocese of Kayanga, Tanzania One of the first Dioceses to be created by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008, Kayanga has 280,000 Catholics residing in just eleven parishes – which share two hundred and thirty-four outstations between them. According to PP Fr Pantaleon Rutambua, “This is a remote and extremely rural region of Tanzania, which is still enduring the scars and trauma of offering sanctuary to millions of refugees from Rwanda and the civil strife in Burundi and the DRC. We are only new as a Diocese, and we struggle with a meagre number of 24 priests

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with insufficient working facilities for pastoral and development plans. These require timely arrival and attendance as a minimum, for on late arrival at a minor church I find the faithful have waited for too long and they are dispersed. This is an embarrassment.” Fr’s duties include taking the Sacraments to all parishioners regularly, teaching in the local schools, burying the dead, and “to be able to travel to all parts of the parish on a schedule that can be arranged and attained.”

Grant:£3,000 SM 3616 Toyota Ambulance for St Mary’s Hospital, Eleta, Oyo

State, Archdiocese of Ibadan, Nigeria This 176-bed hospital is staffed by the Medical Missionaries of Mary, and Sr Onyinye Onuoha MMM has requested funds for a medical outreach vehicle in order to provide healthcare to the people of the surrounding villages. The main emphasis of their work is with expectant mums and the under-fives, providing essential vaccinations and striving to reduce the incidence of maternal mortality. Sr Onyinye writes: “In the last six months, the hospital recorded 15 cases of maternal deaths, and the provision of an ambulance would enable us to refer patients in time.” In issue 49 of ‘Awareness’ we stated that ‘such a vehicle would need a fund of some twenty-one thousand pounds to get it on the road.’ Thanks to donations received, the grant was made in November of 2010.

Grant: £21,000 SM 3617 Hero Honda motorcycle for St Anthony’s Mission, Kallathupatti, Diocese of Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, India Fr Ignatius Johnson Edinbergh, priest-in-charge at St Anthony’s, states: “The Dalit Catholic population of the parish is some 4,000, out of a total of 20,000 in all, scattered in ten substations in rural areas. I have to focus much attention on the spiritual development of those located in the remote places, and I also aim to strengthen and revive the youth through animation programmes. The paths are filled with stones and I am only able to visit once in three months due to lack of transport. I am called to attend the sick and to give Communion at any time of the day or night, and to expand I need a motorbike to

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reach them and to carry out work with the basic Christian Communities and women’s groups. I would be more instrumental in the hands of the Almighty to spread the Word to non-Christians in a more effective and meaningful way.”

Grant: £950 SM 3618 Toyota Hilux for St Michael the Archangel Parish, Aucará, Archdiocese of Cusco, Peru Parish Priest Fr Victor Cavani, who has over a dozen small settlements attached to his parish, lives high in the Andean sierra. A journey to one of them, Sol de los Andes, can take eight hours - though the distance is just 95 kilometres, or 59 miles, and there is no public transport available. San Miguel, another Mass centre, was built originally in 1580, and still has Renaissance paintings brought originally by the Spanish in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In a region for many years left isolated due to terrorism, Fr Cavani has need of a four-wheel-drive vehicle costing thirteen thousand pounds to be able to have regular contact with all his parishioners, spread over 79,000 hectares, or almost three hundred square miles.

Grant: £12,600

SM 3619 Mahindra Bolero 4wd for Jeevana Jyothi Health Centre, Thotapeta, Diocese of Vishakapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India Meaning ‘light of life’, the Centre opened in 1998 and is run by the Canossian Sisters, who began their work by familiarising themselves with the problems the people of the area shared. “Poor housing, lack of nutrition and health problems were all immediately apparent,” says Sr Rosemary Paul,the centre manager. “Other problems such as bonded labour, child marriage, alcoholism, domestic violence and the like were very prevalent in the villages – there are more than seventy of them.” The Sisters make home visits to HIV+ people and their families, run women’s groups, have a small tailoring workshop, look after orphaned children as best they can, and also train health workers in ‘opportunistic’ infections –those that do not cause disease in a ‘healthy’ host, but can be life-threatening for those infected by HIV.

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“The urgency of passing time means we have to react speedily and dependably; to care for them, prolong their life span wherever we can, prepare for the final stages, and care for the many children left behind as orphans - and also take care of the infected children. It is a Herculean task to cover all these villages without a four-wheeler.”

Grant: £8,800 SM 3620 Tata Sumo Ambulance for St Martin de Porres Hospital, Isanagar, Diocese of Meerut, Uttar Pradesh,

India A diocese of fifty-five parishes located in northern India, with many interior substations based in an area with a 60% Muslim population of seventy-five thousand inhabitants in all. The Sisters of St Ann first began work in Isanagar in 1972 with the establishment of this small ‘cottage’ hospital. From there, Sr Jeronima Xalxo informs us: “We operate in a poor rural area and cover fifteen surrounding villages, where still, superstitions abound, and people are far from any medical facilities other than St Martin’s - there is no Government facility near here. Our aim is to widen the availability of the services we carry out in Isanagar to the villages, and to visit each twice a week for medical camps, especially focusing on the women and children, who suffer from malnutrition and preventable conditions. Since there are no reliable roads here the locals are deprived of any regular developmental activities.” The Sisters are also engaged in school heath visits, and have recruited local health workers to accompany them, encouraging the use of herbal medicines as an alternative to costly drugs which are beyond most people’s reach.

Grant: £7,650 SM 3621 Suzuki TF 125 cc motorbike for Narozari Parish,

Diocese of Masaka, Uganda One of nineteen Dioceses in Uganda, Masaka lies to the west of Lake Victoria and covers over twenty-one thousand square kilometres [8,200 square miles]. Narozari Parish, populated largely by subsistence farmers, has itself responsibility for a further twenty sub-parishes. According to PP Fr Edward Ssemogerere; “we have many dedicated Catholics who desire the services of a priest. In each sub-parish there is

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at least one Primary school, but we only have four secondary schools – education is not cheap for the people here. The youth in schools and out in other sectors of life constitute over half the population; they are a delicate group that need constant guidance and help.” Fr Edward also needs transport to visit the elderly and infirm, who cannot make the trip into Narozari – “since we have no clear roads and others are narrow so only a motorbike can pass.”

Grant:£3,000 SM 3622 Yamaha 25hp outboard motor for Obongi Parish,

Moyo, Diocese of Arua, Uganda Located just a mile from the banks of the river Nile, Obongi Parish covers 1,150 square kilometres, or 444 square miles, and is home to PP Fr Emmanuel Asega. He tells us: “We have a population of 41 thousand people, sixty per cent of whom are Catholics and subsistence farmers; and most families have a smallholding, cultivated mainly by the women using hand tools or hoes. Some rear animals like sheep and goats, but these are for dowries and funerals. The parish was founded in 1976, by the Comboni Missionaries, and the first Parish Pries was murdered in 1979 during the final days of the dictatorship of Genral Idi Amin, which was when the parish was taken over by indigenous Diocesan priests. We now have fifteen outstations or chapels, and seven trained catechists, with fourteen more undergoing preparation. Communication, especially in the rainy season, is the biggest problem we have, as this is a very flat area. The road to the main town Moyo, 65 kilometres away, runs alongside the river Nile, but is crossed by two tributaries, and four of the chapels are on the far side, whereas four others are to the south, where the land is swamp. They are all regularly cut off.” Fr informs us that the boats that ply the river are old, overloaded and crowded, and expensive: “Nevertheless, this is the only way for us to communicate with the parishioners in the inner villages.” Over time, the parish had managed to collect three hundred pounds, which will buy a locally built boat, and requested the grant for the small outboard only.

Grant: £2,750

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SM 3623 Bajaj Pulsar motorbike for St Michael’s Parish, Peringamala, Latin Archdiocese of Trivandrum, Kerala, India Peringamala Parish is a small settlement of some 5,000 people, with 1,500 Catholics. PP Fr Abraham Thadithiparambil informs us: “St Michael’s consists of two hundred houses, and the people are fishermen in the main, who live on fish, rice, and tapioca. I have three more villages with substations, but there is no bus facility to reach them, which brings confusion to my pastoral plans, as I never know for sure if or when I can visit them. Hiring a vehicle is possible, but very expensive, especially on Sundays, and dangerous. Often the drivers do not want to go because of the state of the roads to the interior and the state of their vehicles.” Fr adds: “The Christian faithful are the blood veins of the Church; their faith needs to be formed, sustained, and deepened. In our world, where the Christians are faced with persecution and exploitation, our people need constant support and union of mind and heart.”

Grant: £900 SM 3624 – 3653 Thirty mules for the Catechists of the Apostolic Vicariate of Jimma-Bonga, Southern Region,

Kafa Zone, Ethiopia

The Apostolic Vicariate is one of eleven in the Ethiopian Catholic Church, a Vicariate being defined as a form of territorial jurisdiction established in missionary regions and countries that do not yet have a diocese. It is essentially a provisional jurisdiction, though it may last for a century or more. The hope is that the region will generate sufficient numbers of Catholics for the Church to create a diocese. From Jimma, Fr Samuel Yohannes, our contact for this grant, tells us: “Our Vicariate dates back 470 years – it is the oldest in the country, yet it has faced many problems over the years due to the geographical administration of the church and the numerous influences of different political regimes. The parish here at Bonga, of which I am Parish Priest, has been serving eleven chapels in the rural areas, with a total population of 65,000 people.” In the whole of the Vicariate, there are just eight Diocesan priests working alongside seven Vincentian Fathers. “We priests have to walk long distances, more than six hours a day, to reach the outstations. The Vicariate is massive [22,000 square miles], and we depend very much on the help of our catechists.” It was for the catechists that the request was made, and thanks to donations received in the course of 2010, this grant was made in December of 2010.

Grant: £4,600 (£153 each)

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SM 3654 Scooty Streak moped for Arianellure Jesus Convent, Munnilaikottai, Diocese of Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, India The Congregation of the Sisters of Jesus was founded in India as recently as 1993, by the Rt Rev Packia Arockiasamy, Archbishop of Thanjur, and today has one hundred and fifty professed Sisters, and sixty candidates in formation. From Arianellure, Sr Superior Sr Annamal writes: “The main purpose of the Congregation is to spread the Good News of the Lord to people in remote villages, and here we have nine villages and six substations, with a Catholic population of two thousand. In Arianellure, 90% of the population work either as marginal farmers or as landless day wage earners. This depends on the monsoon, and so for the past several years they have had only three months work in the fields, and the rest of the year they struggle to earn their daily bread. This economic vulnerability has not only made them dependent but also reduced them to a culture of silence.” Once they are able to reach the people in the villages, the Sisters can begin to make regular house visits to the sick, and strengthen the work already begun with the ‘Anbiams’, or Basic Christian Communities.

Grant: £650 SM 3655 Hero Honda motorcycle for Dyane Ashram, Karankadu, Tirunelveli, Diocese of Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, India Tirunelveli (in Tamil, ‘place of the rice fields’) is a city considered to be one of the oldest on the Indian subcontinent, with a history dating back to 1000BC, and has a hot and humid climate. According to Fr Anthony Chinnapa, based at Dyane Ashram, “…the pastoral strategy we have adopted, given that it is quite hard to practise the Christian Faith here, is centred around home visits. There is a division of the people here based on caste, which provides a convenient platform for the politicians to have a ‘divide and rule’ policy in many places. We find that visits make a more fruitful relationship between the Parish priest and the individual families. It also helps us identify problems.” Fr Chinnappa has formed a total of sixty-four BECs, or Basic Ecclesial Communities, made up of between fifteen to twenty families each, right across the nine substations of his parish.

Grant: £950 (funded by St Julie’s Developing World Group, Eccleston, St. Helens)

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SM 3656 Hero Honda motorcycle for St Andrew’s Parish, Dharmavaram, Diocese of Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, India

In 1967, when it was first erected as a Diocese, Kurnool had a Catholic population of just ten thousand, which, thanks to the hard work of so many, has now grown to sixty-six thousand.“ Their adherence to the Christian faith,” says PP Fr Joji Reddy, “has been admirable, in the face of innumerable unfriendly surroundings and situations both within and outside of the Church. Equality, human dignity and respect are goals far away from their reach. Along with nourishing and strengthening their faith, their human development takes an equal and important place in the life of the Church of Kurnool Diocese.” Fr Joji, with a parish motorbike, can now make twice-weekly visits to the seven substations he was struggling to cover on foot.

Grant: £950

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