Dr. Barry Wecker, PROLASA Project Coordinator visited the DRCongo from March 6-12. During his visit, he participated in a meeting of the PROLASA Administrative Committee and he laid the cornerstone for the new PROLASA Dental and Eye Clinic.
Dr Barry Wecker and the House Mothers of the Patmos Children’s Village
After 5 months en route, the container has finally arrived in Goma!! On Wednesday, March 9 the long-awaited lorry (tractor-trailer) arrived at the border of the DRC at Goma. Efforts were being made to clear customs formalities and on Monday, March 21, the container will be unloaded in Goma.
On Wednesday, March 9, the first blocks were placed for the new PROLASA Dentistry-Optometry Clinic in Goma. Construction will begin immediately and should be finished by the end of 2011. The new building will house a Dental Clinic and an Eye Clinic and will provide a wide range of Dental Care and Eye Care.
Laying the Cornerstone for the PROLASA Dental and Eye Clinic
Changes are beginning to take place at the PROLASA Hospital site in Goma. The first building of the new hospital is almost finished. The completion of this building is awaited with great anticipation because the medical team will be able to move its operations from a rented facility in Goma to our own building.
First Pavillion of the PROLASA Medical Centre in Goma
Samantha Parish, a Grade 11 student at Tobique Valley High School in Plaster Rock, NB, Canada, has raised over $400 for school supplies for the students at the Patmos Primary and Secondary School on the Island of Idjwi in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Samantha decided that for her 16-week Service Learning Programme that she would organize fund-raising activities to raise money for students in the DRCongo. She set a donation jar in Hansen’s Convenience Store in New Denmark, NB. She also organized a Valentine’s Day fundraiser during which she sold balloons and bags of candy. Students would purchase a balloon and put their valentine in the balloon before it was inflated. Other activities included an Easter Basket raffle which was won by Tammy Morgan from Bath, NB, a movie night and finally she sold Mr. Freezes at the Tobique Valley High School and Middle School.
Samantha, you did an excellent job and on behalf of all the children at the Patmos Children’s Village, I would like to thank-you for all your effort and for your substantial contribution. Merci!
On Friday, January 22, the Perth-Andover, New Brunswick Elementary School presented a cheque to Daniel and Dr. Barry for $1250 to help with the cost for sending a container to Congo. This money had been raised by the sale of a Christmas CD which was made by the students at the school.
Led by Denise Budrow, the music teacher at Perth-Andover Elementary, the students did an excellent job and on behalf of the PROLASA staff and the children at the Patmos Children’s Village, we would like to thank Denise, the teachers and students of Perth-Andover Elementary for their generous contribution and for all of their efforts.
Part of the presentation programme was a song which was written and sung by two of the students Lily Nadeau and Alie Hanson, and another song sung by the school choir.
Lily and Alie’s song was entitled “Be Strong”
Be Strong
Don’t be afraid, it’s just me.
I have come to set you free.
It won’t be long ’till you see
How happy you can be baby.
Chorus
Whoa, Baby be strong
Whoa, I want you to live your life
Whoa, You may not get everything
Whoa, But I want you to know
That you’ll always have the Lord above
Be strong. Be strong. Be strong. Be strong.
I’ll lift you up off the ground
And make you believe
That there’s more to life than what you’ve seen
So I’ve come here to set you free.
Chorus
Baby just be strong!
Thank-you so much for you help Perth-Andover Elementary!
Construction of a new church on the Patmos Children’s Village is almost completed. The official opening will take place during the month of September on the occasion of a visit from a team from International Children’s Care. This is an excellent addition to the campus. Now the children and the staff with have a new place to worship, to have general assemblies and to present programmes.
In September 2009, 60 young people from the Patmos Children’s Village will be starting secondary school. This has resulted in a dilemma. Since we have no secondary school on campus, PROLASA was going to be obliged to send these 60 students to Goma on the mainland to pursue their studies. International Children’s Care has managed to find the funding to begin the construction of the secondary school classrooms so that we can begin secondary school classes next week when the school years begins.
The house mothers at the Patmos Children’s Village had an idea that they would like to organize a bakery to supplement their incomes. Arrangements were made to build a building just off campus and a bakery was set up. The house mothers take turns working in the bakery in the early hours of the morning and they are turning out some wonderful bread. This is the only bakery on the island of Idjwi (population 210,000) and they have had no problem selling all of their bread. In fact, orders are coming in and the bread is sold and paid for before it is baked!
Some of the children from the Patmos Children’s Village are now employed in the bakery and they are learning how to bake bread and manage a business. The financing for the project was provided by a microfinancing women’s project whereby the housemothers received a small loan. This loan is being paid back as their business succeeds.
Congratulations ladies for a job well done.
Several years ago, a poor, deaf-mute, crippled man arrived at the Patmos Children’s Village and asked for help. He was given permission to build a shelter for himself at the edge of the campus and before long he had a simple shelter made from some sticks and piece of tarp. He made a bed for himself from some sticks and rags and then he moved in. With a withered, deformed right hand and arm, he had a significantly decreased ability to care for himself. His hygiene was poor, his skin was covered with parasites and he was obviously malnourished.
The children at Patmos decided to take care of him. They brought him food, they removed all the parasites from his skin, they helped him with bathing and they found some clothes for him. And what a difference their care has made!!! When we arrived this time, he was clean, better dressed and he had gained a bit of weight. He was thrilled to see us and he greeted us very warmly. He participates in all the group activities on campus and the children include him with enthusiasm.
What a thrill to see the children passing on the blessings that they have received to someone else in need. That is precisely what Christianity is all about!
