2012 Mission Trip
We assisted Padre PJ Hughes, Pastor of the Parish of Jesu Cristo Pan de Vida and Escuela Julio Matevelo. FHMB provided the school with three computers and air conditioner for the computer lab, an industrial copier for the school, PE and school supplies, and hats, beads, and t-shirts for art projects for the students Previously, we had sent funding for furniture for 3 new classrooms.
Guasmo is where we worked 5 years ago, in the Soup Kitchen It had been closed for 3 years, but the new Pastor, Padre Pedro, has reopened it, and asked us to help purchase new dishes and pots and pans, etc. We continue to provide funding for the HIV/AIDS Group to get medicine, nutritional supplements, and transportation to medical appointments, etc.
Damien House, run by Sister Annie Credidio, BVM, helps those who have had, and are living with the side effects of Hansen’s Disease ( a.k.a. leprosy). We spent time with the 40 residents, saw the new counter top stoves that we had purchased for the newly remodeled kitchens for the men and women, and provided seed money for the women’s kitchen remodel. When the women’s area was being remodeled, new problems arose (the roof needed to be replaced and wiring upgraded), so costs exceeded the estimates. As of now, $10,000 is needed to repay the emergency loan taken to cover those expenses.
We went into the countryside to see where so many people are diagnosed with Hansen’s, and met with two young students with the disease.These children live in deplorable conditions, and their homes need to be repaired before the upcoming rainy season. We provided funds for one new home, and funds were given to help another family repair their home.
