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Documentary At The Fiddlers A documentary on the work of Fr Pat Clarke is to be shown live at the newly refurbished Fiddlers Green in Levenshulme on Monday 2nd July at 11.00pm. The RTE programme entitled Two And Two Make Five has been made by Ann Daley. She highlights the huge contribution being made in Sao Paulo by Fr Pat in alleviating the suffering of the poor. All Manchester-based supporters of Fr Pat are warmly invited to attend - refreshments will be served.
Clean Up Campaign in Chimbote This week, the three new volunteers from St Mary's parish in Levenshulme - Mairead, Aine and Lauren - started a clean up campaign of the local areas of Chimbote Peru. They encouraged the neighbours to get involved and take an active interest in improving the areas in which they live. They made a great start and have already made a big difference in the San Miguel and Ramal Playa neighbourhoods. The lack of rubbish collection means that the streets are full of rotting rubbish and animals. Some areas are also without sewers or with inadequate systems, so this exacerbates the situation. They are so used to living in such conditions that many become passive. The girls have been encouraging people and trying to ignite some pride in the local areas. They are doing a great job.
Glimmers of Hope Today, the La Victoria district of Chimbote held host to the first ever football tournament between the former gangs of the area. After a shaky start, owed to the fact that the teams did not believe that a referee was necessary, the competition went well. The games were competitive but sporting and the event was very enjoyable for both the participants and the spectators. The prize giving began with two very positive and supportive speeches by representatives of the winning and second place teams.
The event was organised by one of the groups to celebrate the one year anniversary of the formation of their youth centre. This evening the group will prepare a celebratory meal which should be equally enjoyable. Thank you from Chimbote
A huge thank you to all those who supported the recent fundraisers for the Chimbote mission. The contributions will make a tremendous difference to many of the extremely poor members of the community. We would like to thank the St Mary's parishioners, IASC & Kerry Association members, the Kennedy Association, everyone at the Fiddler's Green and all other supporters of this worthy cause. Thank you.
Helping our less fortunate brothers & sisters in Peru
Mairead Rodden, Aine Quinn and Lauren Mooney arrived to Chimbote just in time to participate in the Easter celebrations.
The girls arrived full of energy and keen to assist in any projects in need of support. Their contribution to the weekly daycare for children with disabilities brings the children great joy and offers an extremely valuable respite to the children's parents. Many of the parents are single mothers who struggle to give their children the support that they deserve. We are sure that the girls' enthusiasm and positive attitudes will make them great role models for the youth of the area. An Easter Blessing A young woman from the parish who suffers from a terminal illness returned to Chimbote this week after successfully completing a course of rehabilitation in Lima. Her condition is such that until recently she spent most of her time in a wheel chair, only able to walk short distances, aided by either a walking frame or two crutches.
Her dream to walk unaided led her to explore the possibilities of rehabilitation. The belief and support of her great friend and benefactor helped her to put all her effort into trying to bring this dream closer to reality. The intensive rehabilitation went very well and she is now able to walk much better, for longer distances and with only one walking stick. It goes without saying that she is thrilled with the progress that she has made physically. However, the experience has far exceeded this 26 year old mother's expectations. The people that she met in rehabilitation have helped her to reflect on her own situation, widen her perspective and appreciate all the positive elements of her life. She entered rehabilitation in a low mood, concentrating on her inability to walk well and with a negative outlook on her situation. Since she returned, her mood and conversations have been unrecognisable from those to which I had become accustomed. Despite her chronic illness, she thanks God that she is to walk better, that she feels a significant level of independence, that she is able to study at University and, most importantly, that she is able to play with her little daughter like all the other mums. Father Jack's award in Congress Last night Father Jack returned back to Chimbote after a trip to Lima to receive an award in congress. The medal of honour recognised his 32 years of service to the poor of Chimbote and is the highest award a foreigner can be granted. In his acceptance speech he pledged to continue his fight to help the impoverished people of this desert city and stressed the importance of education and personal responsibility. The day in congress was a real tear jerker and, as usual, the guests that accompanied Father Jack were very very poor people - friends for whom Jack is as close to a saint as they can imagine. Arriving back from Lima last night, Father Jack was greeted by hundreds of people, all waiting to congratulate him and show their love and gratitude. Jack is a truly wonderful man who has dedicated his life to serving the poorest of the poor. Soup Kitchens
This week sees the opening of the sixth soup kitchen in the area in which I am living here in Chimbote, Peru. The Mother Teresa of Calcutta kitchen will serve families who would otherwise go without and suffer great hunger. The soup kitchen programme currently serves over 1000 people per day and this number is sure to continue to rise.
Get well soon
Last week I accompanied two american nurses on some house visits. The two women were here in Chimbote for a week and were able to offer some great advice and support. We visited a 24 year old man called Jorge. His injury, mood and living conditions impacted on us enormously. In July, he was shot in the gut, rupturing his intestine and causing considerable internal damage. Although he was initially taken to hospital, he was unable to stay or receive any treatment because neither he nor his family had any money to pay. The bullet is still in his body and he has a small plastic bag attached to his body, beside his belly button. His body looks like that of a famine victim. His weight has dropped to 40 kg (6 stone). He is unable to leave the house for fear of infection so sits all day in his small, mud floored shack. He has become increasingly depressed and hopeless. His situation is devastating - he has no money to pay for treatment and no scope for going out to earn any money.
The two nurses were incredibly concerned for both his physical and mental well being. Today I received confirmation from them that they are going to sponsor Jorge. He needs to start by getting his weight up to 60 kg - a healthy and safe weight to allow the operation to go ahead. The operation will address the internal damage, remove the bullet and close the wound where the bag is attached. It is with great joy that I write this, knowing the joy and relief that the nurses' generosity is going to bring to this young man. Chimbote Weblog: Street Gangs Street gangs are a major problem in Chimbote. The problems were getting so severe that Fr Jack and the team decided that they couldn't sit back and let the violence and unrest escalate further. A number of shocking events illustrate the severity of what was happening not long ago. A small child was shot dead in the cross fire of a gang fight while out playing with friends on his fourth birthday. One of the gangs appeared on national television, drunk, drugged and armed with knives and guns, bragging about their love of violence and killing. It later transpired that the gang had taken a bribe from the television company who were interested in increasing their ratings with sensationalist material. Fr Jack says that this period was characterised by shootings and regular violence. Small steps have been taken towards the ultimate goal of reconciliation between the gangs. One of the initiatives involves the formation of youth centres. In the short term, the aims are two fold. The first is to offer young people an alternative to hanging around taking drugs on street corners. The second is to create some employment - the construction of the centre and surrounding gardens. In the long term, we hope that the young men will become increasingly involved in the community and change their destructive behaviours and attitudes. Four years ago a youth centre was set up with the help of students from Creighton University. The centre has been functioning well for some time now. Children go to the centre in the mornings for help with their homework, there are jewellery making classes in the afternoons and soldering classes in the evenings. In April another centre was set up with support from an American visitor. This centre has also been functioning well and the ex gang members that frequent the centre have formed a choir that sings weekly at mass. These young men were those who appeared on national television brandishing weapons just a few months ago. Further donations have funded the creation of a small matress factory that now offers employment to the young men. The third and fourth centres are currently being set up and we are all very hopeful that things will continue to go well. After evaluating the progress that has been made so far, we have decided that we need to make a concerted effort to help the young men understand that they too have responsibilities and a part to play in the improvement of their lives. We are investigating the possibility of introducing professional help as many of the youngsters have deep rooted psychological problems and are heavy drug users. The project is a tough one and we know we have a long way to go. We hope that we can continue to achieve small victories and learn from the challenges we face along the way. Weblog from Chimbote, Peru A young Manchester Irish woman is currently working in the parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Hope in Chimbote, Peru. From time to time she will post weblogs so that friends and supporters in Manchester can keep up to date with developments. "In May I was introduced to Father Jack Davis and Sister Peggy Byrne by my good friend Father John Ahern. Jack and Peggy have worked together in Chimbote Peru for over twenty years. They strive to better the lives of the people in this exceedingly poor coastal city, where many lack the things that we consider to be bare necessities. Those living in houses that have a cement floor or roof are regarded as well off - the majority of the people here live in houses made of tightly woven straw. I arrived in Chimbote as a volunteer at the parish of Nuestra Senora del Perpetuo Socorro a month ago. I spent the first couple of weeks working on a project to improve the women's refuge which had been closed due to lack of funding and poor maintenence. The centre has been transformed from a bleak, uninhabited building into a clean, bright and fully furnished home for women and children who suffer domestic violence. The shelter currently houses two women and their children, all of whom have suffered in some capacity from abuse within their own homes. Another woman will move in this week, illustrating the great need to address and challenge the matrimonial and parental violence that is present in the community." Irish Community Care Manchester Celebrating its 21st anniversary, Irish Community Care is a volunteer led organisation delivering a culturally sensitive service to the community. Funding has been secured for a number of projects including Advice and Information, senior social and craft activities, community liaison, Travellers, survivors of abuse and burials and graves. For further information on these activities call 0161 205 9105 or log onto www.iccmanchester.org.uk Fr Pat Clarke
Fr. Pat came over from Brazil on 5th May 2006 to raise money for Brazilian street children. With the help of St. Mary's parish, he managed to take away in excess of 17,000 pounds. Well done!!
There is on-going fund raising for Fr. Pat's work in Brazil - if you'd like to help contact Fr. John Ahern on ciarraiabu@hotmail.com Chimbote, Peru
Fr. Jack Davis has dedicated his life to serving the impoverished people of Chimbote, Peru. He spends a great deal of time responding to people's basic needs - things that we tend to take for granted. His parish has a medical post, a day care centre, nurseries, libraries, soup kitchens, a rehabilitation centre for the disabled and a centre for people suffering from addictions. Recently Peru's first Hospice opened in the parish.
Much of this has been made possible by fund raising and donations. Fr. Jack and his associates' continuing aim is to promote sustainable change and improvements in the lives of the people of the parish of Nuestra Senora del Perpetuo Socorro (Our Lady of Perpetual Help). For more information contact Fr. John Ahern at ciarraiabu@hotmail.com or visit the website www.losamigos-chimbote.org. |
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