Over the past years I have promoted and actively assisted various sundry activities close to home, in Asia and the Pacific. Africa is a distant continent....

Yes, we know that people of religious conviction staff schools and hospitals in Africa, and we may even sponsor children or donate money to salve our consciences.

But, I want to write about 120 mothers and children that began to be cared for at The Holy Family Care Centre is situated at the foot of the Drakensberg Moutains at Ofcolaco in the Limpopo province in mid 2002. See googleearth for the location.

These children ranging from new born babies to teenagers suffer from AID's/HIV and TB. Since the centre opened most of the mothers have died.

Yes, in 4 years, most of the mothers have died.

However, the death toll for the children remains much lower. Approximately 60 children are cared for.

In 2004, the local Bishops Conference recommended that the Centre be given access to anti-retroviral medication. This is being funded by PEPFAR in America, the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief. The children will grow into adult life dependent on the medication until death, unless another medication breakthrough is achieved.

The Director is an Australian religious sister who had spent ten years in Rome supervising her orders mission work, she now is at the 'real' front lines. Both her love for the children and her appreciation for the support this 'work of love' receives is immense.

I commend this special place. as worthy of prayer and financial support. Hopefully some gentle readers will be moved to join me in assisting this work.

As an interesting aside, apart from Australian support, this work of love and human dignity also receives support from the wonderful people of Netherlands, whose land I visit in two weeks. Some are visiting Zuid Afrika at present - My first link to a non English web-site: http://www.margrietinzuidafrika.fkraak.com/. I was gobsmacked to see that a school in my early childhood abode in the county of Essex, UK is also assisting in this work.

It's great that the internet allows us to join the dots and appreciate the global humanity of the little people.

2007 has begun, and the countdown to my trip overseas suddenly becomes more insistent.
13 more work days, and a few days off, a birthday, some entertaining with the weber and then it will be onto a greyhound bus, a plane to Amsterdam via Singapore and London and then EUROPE!

The trip to the UK several years ago was a bit less exciting than I had expected, the images of the UK seen on TV and movies over my lifetime led me to think ho hum at times, I have seen all this. It was great to be there in the flesh so to speak but I had more in common with my homeland than I will be in Europe experiencing the culture shock of travelling in countries where the native tongues will be alien to me. I will have to rely on others to explain signs and show me where to go!

The Nederlands and France will soak up 8 days then onto the chunnel and over to the UK to visit my relatives in the West Country.

2006 ended with some special moments for me:- God's mysterious ways at work, I have no doubt, and I am sure that 2007 will continue to unfold in unexpected ways. Thanks once again to all who pray for my special intentions, and may we all know joy and peace in abundance in 2007.