by Sister Emilina, Mozambique.
Here in the Chimoio Diocese in central Mozambique there is poverty, misery and you could even say “despair”. I work in the Justice and Peace Commission alongside those who are the most desperate.
Currently I am working with a group of 36 widows. Each of them has three to five children to take care of. These are their grandchildren. Their parents have passed on, mostly because of AIDS. The desperation of these grandmothers is endless. They are weak and unable to work their land to grow food, and now they have been left to bring up their grandchildren.
We have formed groups to make necklaces, cushions, shoulder bags and crochet work to sell. At the end of the month each of them receives around USD 4 or 5. If you could see the happiness on their faces when they realise they can buy some soap, or some maize flour to eat, it means everything to be able to make sure the children aren’t going to bed hungry.
This year we planted lots of maize but the rains were insufficient and we won’t get any harvest. We are going to plant some beans to see whether we can get some food that way.
All of this is possible because Trócaire to fund the women’s groups and the work we do. I am delighted to be able to work here among these people as a Brazilian missionary and thank the people of Ireland for their generosity and enabling us to continue this life-changing work.
Here we have a support centre for people living with HIV/AIDS. We know there is no cure. But we can give people their dignity back so that they can live with hope. We have established a garden from which we make teas and other natural medicines which are proven to help those living with AIDS recuperate by improving their immunity and giving them strength. They are given a dietary regime and the appropriate tea. Within a week they start to improve. In 2009 we took care of 48 people. Many of them were bedridden and weak. Today they are working again. They take their medicines.
Growing and looking after the medicinal plants is expensive. Keeping someone on to help with drying and preparing the teas is costly. The Doctor who is a specialist in natural medicines works for free.
All this is possible that to the generosity of Trócaire who finance our project.
Previous Thought for the Weeks
The struggles of people living in rural poverty in El Salvador
Understanding the needs of the people in Orissa
