News#1/02

‘With a heart for the world each sister is open to being sent wherever she is needed at home or abroad.’

RNDM Mission Solidarity News is published four times each year – March, June, September and December.

RNDM Mission Solidarity is the RNDM office that promotes mission solidarity in communications and in funding

for the missionary works of the 925 Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions in 20 countries world wide.

ALL are invited to contribute to our RNDM mission solidarity funds.

Tara Dubord – our web master – has again introduced lots of new material and design to our web site. We invite you to spread the news and to encourage others to explore www.rndm.tripod.com.

Recently a couple of Maryknoll Sisters had their first look at our site and wrote to us “It’s certainly a very ambitious and attractive site.’ Please pass on that good news.

RNDM Mission Projects for 2002 and Thanks for 2001

The 2002 Schedule of RNDM Mission Projects approved by our Leadership Team includes: India Central, Kenya, Myanmar (4), Philippines (2) and Vietnam. You will find the detailed information about these mission initiatives on the web site.

In 2001 our Sisters, our friends and our donors contributed more than US$35,000 from Solidarity Funds for our mission projects. Over and above that amount, a further US$25,000 was sent in disaster relief to Peru and the Philippines. Those totals were a wonderful effort and have made a huge difference to the lives of hundreds of women and children amongst whom our Sisters are working. [PS Other monies – totals unknown – are also being sent to support many other longer established works throughout the Congregation. We are most grateful for all these donations – small or large.]

We look forward to your similar generous support for the 2002 projects and works. God bless you all.

Report from Tei Wa Ngai, Matuu,

Kenya

In 2001 our Sisters accepted full responsibility for Tei Wa Ngai – the programme for those with disabilities in Matuu Deanery, begun by a Dutch laywoman [c.f. News 2000 #2]. Two Dutch agencies - CORDAID, and the Liliane Foundation – are major donors for this work.

RNDM Solidarity Funds helped to provide walking shoes [3 pairs each per year] and bicycles so that the volunteer health workers can maintain, and Above: Shoes for the Tei Wa Ngai workers! even extend their home visits to the disabled in outlying villages.

“It is with grateful hearts that we, the co-ordinators of Tei Wa Ngai Programme for the disabled – Sisters Josephine and Jacintah, and the twelve health workers - wish to express our sincere thanks to all who responded to our appeal. …

Left: Tei Wa Ngai health workers of 2001 with Marjan Bootsma, founder, (second from left in the back row.)

Marjan Bootsma came to

Kenya

in 1991 as a volunteer; she was a trained social worker specializing in youth and the handicapped.

She herself established and worked in the Tei Wa Ngai programme up until 1994 – training local volunteer health workers to stimulate the development of handicapped persons of all ages and to extend support and encouragement for them to become more independent.

Since her return to the Netherlands Marjan has continued to advise and support the local coordinator of the programme and to solicit annual funding from Dutch agencies.

The Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions became involved with her programme in 1997.

Report from Laitumkrah, near Shillong, India North East <from Sister Judith Shadap>

WISE (Women for Integrated Sustainable Empowerment) – is an RNDM NGO, established in July 2000 in Shillong, Meghalaya.

Sister Judith, after five years of experience with the Salesian Fathers in their Bosco Reach Out NGO, has established a Social Service Centre that targets destitute women, girl dropouts, domestic workers and women in crisis. They come to the Centre for vocational training in fast food preparation, food processing,
Left: Girls from the orphanage training in handcrafts
basket-making, dry flowers making, tailoring and handcrafts of all sorts. Those who have completed the training from the Centre are encouraged to make use of the skills they have acquired and to take up income generating activities such as a small shop, fast food sales, or livestock projects. They are encouraged to join Self-Help Groups through which they learn to mobilize their own small savings and have access to micro credit. Once they are encouraged by and convinced of the advantages of this programme, they themselves become agents of change in their society and bring in others; so the progress goes on.

To establish an income generating activity, a women needs about 100 – 200 US dollars of capital. They are encouraged to repay that sum by installments within one year, so that it can be available for the next IGA. In general they have been regular in making their repayments, but as the scheme grows so the need for a larger capital fund increases.

Or would you like to sponsor one or more women on whom you can receive personal reports?

The centre has also adopted a village – Laitryngew – in which their trainers undertake a variety of social programmes: awareness building, dissemination of information, capacity building, leadership training, gender sensitivity, health care, legal literacy on women’s rights etc. The aim is to bring about attitudinal change and sustainable development so that the people can live with dignity.

Left: Sister Judith and the Social Welfare Department chairperson listening to the elderly women of Laitryngew.

Below right: A Laitryngew Self-Help Group meeting to study principles of saving.

Donations for RNDM mission works can be handed to any Sister of Our Lady of the Missions

SOLIDARITY NEWSLETTER #1/2002

RNDMs, Associates, Friends and Sponsors

RNDM Mission Projects for 2002 and Thanks for 2001

COORDINATOR RNDM MISSION SOLIDARITY

Fax/phone 00331 41 79 32 82 Convent 00331 43 76 17 41