Visit by US bishops to Ingwavuma
Friday, 04 September 2009 10:12
A delegation from the US Catholic Bishops’ Conference visited the Vicariate of Ingwavuma at the beginning of September. The delegation consisted of Bishop Ricard (the chairperson of the USCCB’s “Solidarity Fund”, and a member of the committee that advises the USCCB on policy towards Africa), Frank Butler (the President of FADICA – an umbrella organization of all Catholic foundations and donors in the US), Ms Leanne Raskob (of the Raskob Foundation), Steve Hilbert (of the USCCB) and Fritz Zuber (also of the USCCB). They were accompanied by Davor Dakovic (CRS) and Antoine Soubrier (SACBC).
The group arrived the evening of Monday 31 August. They were welcomed in St Lucia by Bishop Jose Luis Ponce de Leon, Fr Declan Doherty and Johan Viljoen. The whole group went out for dinner. After that, the adventurous ones went for a walk on the beach, where they admired the reflection of the full moon on the Indian Ocean.
On Tuesday 1 September the group visited the SACBC’s ARV treatment project. On Tuesdays the team (doctor, nurses and counselors) see patients at Malusi Omuhle Mission in Hlabisa. This is where the delegation met them. There were about 40 patients waiting to see the doctor or nurse, and to collect their monthly supply of ARV’s. Dr Mbatha was seeing a critically sick new patient – his CD4 count was only 5, and he was too weak and emaciated to walk.
Bishop Ricard with a critically sick new patient
After visiting the ARV treatment project, the group went out with two caregivers (Ms Ketha Nene and Ms Bongi Mhlongo) to visit terminal patients in their homes in eMacekeni and Hlambanyathi villages – each one about 20km from Hlabisa. Five patients were visited in their homes – all of them desperately poor, sick and bedridden. One patient was unable to walk due to paralysis, and was supporting eight orphans on her disability pension. At all the homes, Bishops Ricard and Jose Luis Ponce de Leon prayed with the patients.
The following day the group went on the “hippo and crocodile” cruise on Lake St Lucia, and for a drive in the Isimangaliso Wetland Park. After that they visited the ARV project headquarters at St Gabriel’s Healing Centre (in Mtubatuba), where they saw the new Toga laboratory in its shipping container. From there they proceeded to Richards Bay Airport for their return flight to Johannesburg.
The visit was a great success. All the delegates were deeply moved by the experience of visiting some of the poorest communities in the country, and witnessing first hand the suffering and devastation caused by AIDS. The visit caused great excitement in the Vicariate of Ingwavuma – a place that is considered so remote, that it seldom receives foreign visitors. Hopefully the visit signals the beginning of an era of fruitful collaboration between the universal church and the Vicariate of Ingwavuma (the poorest and most under-resourced Ecclesiastical territory in the country).
Johan Viljoen
ART project Manager
On Tuesday 1 September the group visited the SACBC’s ARV treatment project. On Tuesdays the team (doctor, nurses and counselors) see patients at Malusi Omuhle Mission in Hlabisa. This is where the delegation met them. There were about 40 patients waiting to see the doctor or nurse, and to collect their monthly supply of ARV’s. Dr Mbatha was seeing a critically sick new patient – his CD4 count was only 5, and he was too weak and emaciated to walk.
Bishop Ricard with a critically sick new patient
After visiting the ARV treatment project, the group went out with two caregivers (Ms Ketha Nene and Ms Bongi Mhlongo) to visit terminal patients in their homes in eMacekeni and Hlambanyathi villages – each one about 20km from Hlabisa. Five patients were visited in their homes – all of them desperately poor, sick and bedridden. One patient was unable to walk due to paralysis, and was supporting eight orphans on her disability pension. At all the homes, Bishops Ricard and Jose Luis Ponce de Leon prayed with the patients.
 Bishop Jose-Luis with a patient |  Bishop Ricard blessing a disabled girl |
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The following day the group went on the “hippo and crocodile” cruise on Lake St Lucia, and for a drive in the Isimangaliso Wetland Park. After that they visited the ARV project headquarters at St Gabriel’s Healing Centre (in Mtubatuba), where they saw the new Toga laboratory in its shipping container. From there they proceeded to Richards Bay Airport for their return flight to Johannesburg.
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St Gabriel's Healing Centre (on the left) and the Toga laboratory (on the right)
The visit was a great success. All the delegates were deeply moved by the experience of visiting some of the poorest communities in the country, and witnessing first hand the suffering and devastation caused by AIDS. The visit caused great excitement in the Vicariate of Ingwavuma – a place that is considered so remote, that it seldom receives foreign visitors. Hopefully the visit signals the beginning of an era of fruitful collaboration between the universal church and the Vicariate of Ingwavuma (the poorest and most under-resourced Ecclesiastical territory in the country).
Johan Viljoen
ART project Manager
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