Mannya
2013
Someone
asked Len Monk, who now works 8 hours a week visiting people in the
Parish, if the Parish was still involved in Mannya. The answer is
a big YES.
I went to Mannya on 1st
August this year and returned on the 25th. I set out on my own and
Kevin Shannon came a week or two later. He was last there in 2009 and
noticed an extraordinary difference in the last four years. The
biggest change is certainly the opening of a kindergarten where over
300 children are catered for, for 5 days each week. There are now
nearly 1000 children in
the Primary school and 800 in the Secondary
school. With the Primary and Secondary schools at Busibo, the Cotton
On Foundation is educating 4,700 children in Uganda.
Where
does St Bernard’s fit into all of this? We are especially involved
at the Health Centre and supply up to $35,000 per year to support the
Centre. While I was there, the people christened me ‘Jadga’,
which means ‘Grandfather’ in their language. I met all sorts of
people and Fr Nestus had me working flat out with talks at the
schools, with Weddings, Baptisms and Funerals. The people are buried
the day after they die and are buried in their own backyard.
Paul
Spence, the former Principal of Clairvaux, has a wider role after a
number of years and he is responsible for what we call ‘The Four
Pillars’ – Health; Education; Maintenance and Sustainability.
Carolyn Kelly, the current Principal of Clairvaux, has taken
responsibility for Education. They travel to Mannya 3 times a
year in our school holidays. We, at St Bernard’s, owe a great
deal to both of them. There are now over 40 students at the
University in Masaka, the second biggest city in Uganda.
Coffee
is now being produced at Mannya and coffee plants are given to
farmers to help them sustain their families. While I was there, the
locals fenced 50 acres of land with access to water. On your behalf,
I purchased 20 cows (Texas Longhorns). The cattle will have calves in
the next few months and when sold at 6 months old, will help the
Parish towards sustainability. Cattle are expensive – we paid
$A350.00 for each one and already, since I returned, 10 people have
paid for 10 cows. We are now purchasing a bull!
Fr Peter blessing a cow in Mannya
A
great celebration took place on the second Sunday of August in
Mannya. Everyone and then some were there. The Bishop, the
Vice-President of Uganda – all sorts of people we there. We
celebrated the Centenary of the ordination of the first African
priests. In 1913, Ugandans, Frs Basil and Victor were amongst those
priests. The celebration went on for 6 hours and you can imagine the
struggle I had to sit there for such a long time. At the centenary,
the Vice-President and I laid a foundation stone for a convent which
should be finished by Easter next year. Five Sisters, Daughters of
Mary, will come to work in Mannya, 3 in the Health Centre and 2 in
the school.
After
speaking with the other Executor of the Will of the late Peter
Redmond, we had decided that St Bernard’s Parish would use Peter’s
$89,000.00 bequest to Mannya, to build the convent. The total cost of
the project is $A123,000.00 with St Bernard’s to cover the
shortfall. How can this happen? Projects such as these are possible
because of your generosity.
I
will continue to visit Mannya and Fr Vince intends to go when he
can. Cotton On will continue to promote The Four Pillars. They are
planning to build a coffee processing plant in the district and
involve Mannya people in a type of co-operative. Mannya coffee is
highly regarded throughout the world. St Joseph’s College,
Newtown paid for musical instruments for a band which is now
flourishing and the Cotton On Foundation are bringing some of the
band to Geelong in November this year. They will give a couple of
concerts and play at St Bernard’s one weekend in December. Fr
Nestus will return with them.
I
will try to keep you informed of happenings at Mannya.
Fr
Peter
EVALUATION OF ST BERNARD’S HEALTH CENTRE, MANNYA.
