In South Africa, Marist Mercy Care takes care of over 150 children by educating them, feeding them and assisting them. For Christmas distributed 650 gifts to all children.
The Marist Mercy Care is a place of mercy and hope where a staff of seven educators takes care of over 150 children. Through an educational program, Marist Mercy Care staff prepares children for elementary school. The center helps the community by intensifying its efforts by trying to alleviate hunger and malnutrition, feeding hundreds of children and adults weekly.
The mission of Marist Mercy Care is also to assist those who are incredibly sick and dying by providing health care. Three health care workers in the center walk around the city every day providing home care, assisting HIV / AIDS patients, tuberculosis, cancer and other diseases.
An important goal of Marist Mercy Care is to empower local women in formal settlement by providing them with the skills necessary for sewing and embroidery. Raymond Nel (San Henry’s Alumnus) donated sewing machines, a Wendy House and financed the education of local women in business management. Addo Township Designs provides school uniforms to local schools.
The center provides learning courses for children and adults. Computer lessons are taught throughout the valley, giving children and adults the opportunity to learn and understand the importance of computers. These lessons were developed by Sister Breda. In 2017, 295 students signed up to take the computer course. 218 females and 77 males. 124 people came from Addo and 171 from Kirkwood. Of those numbers, 113 had completed Grade 11 and 117 had successfully reached the freshman. As a result, 265 are employed and have high hopes of doing much better for themselves. The ages range from 18 to 71 years.
In addition, an annual summer camp takes place in one of the poorest cities in the Eastern Cape, known as Langbos and has existed for over ten years. This year we welcomed over four hundred children from the Langbos Informal Settlement and Valencia Formal Settlement.
Numerous programs have been organized for these children between the ages of four and fifteen during the week by the Marists, overcoming every challenge: no water, no
electricity, no formal infrastructure, no sports field and minimal equipment.
A separate program has been joined to the summer camp program for older participants. This program consisted of professional guidance, school subjects choices, health awareness, IT and sports lessons.
We welcomed over fifty volunteers, thirty of whom were Marists from all over South Africa. On the last day we distributed more than six hundred and fifty Christmas gifts to the children of the Valencia Formal Settlement.
