We thank God for the year 2020 just ended. It wa
s a successful year full of good and difficult happenings, but God is by us and led us through.We are so thankful to you all who helped us go through. God alone holds the future; our today and tomorrow. We keep on trusting God.We want to express our hearty thanks to you for your strong support to us morally, spiritually and financially. This has been very helpful and useful to the life of our community. We can only ask God to bless you immensely for all these and many more. We also want to be grateful to God that in the midst of the crises our community still moves on. The political situation of our county remains difficult; nobody knows the end, which is very painful as people keep losing their lives.Despite all these, we have continued to move on with our life, taking care of our different places where our sisters live. Since November 2020 we have tried that a small group of sisters live in our house in Bafut so that it is not left empty again as has been the past two years. This is not very easy, but with prayers and trusting God we have been able to go on with this until now.
God has used this difficult situation of our country to bless us with an extension house in Foumbot where our community has continued to witness for Him in that part of the country we have never thought of. God's ways are not ours, nor are God's thoughts ours. Our group of sisters working in school and hospital of the PCC continue in Baffoussam (Sr. Magadaleine, Sr. Hope, and Sr. Claire who joined the group three months ago and working in the treasury department of the hospital). The host machines are still there in Baffoussam and sisters are going on with the wafers production there.
Some sisters are carrying on studies in different fields (Sr. Florence and Sr. Beatrice in the field of nursing, Sr. Angele reading Project management and a few young sisters going to a college around Foumbot.
Spiritual Life:To God be the Glory that we are able to pray together and to follow our community activities. Our monthly retreat and yearly retreat passed successfullywith the coordinationof Rev. Fru Henry our ChaplinandSr. Shalom.The ongoing formation of the sisters at their various stages has continued. Eighteen finally professed and five temporarily professed while one Novice and Seven Postulants are all doing greatit is worth nothing that Rev. Fru our chaplain has stood the test of time with the community we are very gratefulto him. Important to note also that no matter how busy and occupied we are, the core of our life which is prayer is maintained. In the differentplaces where we leave we maintain our prayer life even if we have to adjust the prayer time table to fitthe various programs of these different places.
Our host’s production has been the most regular source of income to us to support our economic life though the covid19 came and slowed down this process. The income from the sewing workshop comesin from time to timeto supportus. Foods from our farms havealso supported us greatly. The sisters working in hospitaland school also bring in some little income. All these put together help to support our daily life.
Health:We remain grateful to God for his handwork of healing mercies upon the community. We thank God that we did not encounter any major problem as health is concern. Sister Mary Anne celebrated her 60th anniversary on the 9th of January 2021. Sr. Faith also celebrated her 50th anniversary.We thank God for keeping them up till that age. It was a moment of thanksgiving to God.
Programs:The Primary School program has started back after the long shut down due to the struggle. At the moment we have about 130 pupils at Presbyterian Primary School Agyati in Bafut with Mr. Atoh as the head teacher. Sr. Marie Pierre is working under P.S Acha.
The program under the coordination of Sr. Judith is very helpful to the lives of people living with disabilities, the underprivileged, now including the internally displaced people in our country. This program is very useful as it leads us to fulfil our calling as a religious community. The needy persons continue to need help, but we know we cannot help all at once. Akum too is doing well. Many children are there and some internally displaced persons too are taking refuge momentarily there. Life there too continuesto be demanding financially. Thank you for helping us realize the house in Foumbot. We now have the extension building which has gone far. We are grateful to also announce the realization of a bore hole in Foumbot which have solved the problem of water to us and the neighborhood.
AKUM:The center in Akum is doing fine and very busy. There are five sisters in Akum. Sr. Samuella is serving in the health Center of the church and Sr. Florence is schooling. So three sisters (Sr. Divine, Sr. Johanna and Sr. MaryAnn) are working in the center. We have a host of workers supporting us with the daily activities. The craft workshop is going on smoothly and we intend to graduate some of the girls this year 2021. It’s so encouraging to see the things they can do. The primary school is moving fine. The children from the community around join the children in the center for studies.The enrolment of the school is 150 pupils including the children of the center. The classes are from Nursery one to Primary six. We also have some girls attending secondary school out from the center.
Our farms gave us a very good yield last year 2020. We harvested much corn, beans, groundnuts, Irish potatoes, cabbages, coco, yam etc. we have a good garden now with lots of vegetable. All these have been so helpful for our feeding.
The fish pond is doing fine. We keep struggling to maintain the supply of water in the ponds as we are now in the dry season. And we continue to maintain the ponds. Buying and preparing their food is a whole process but all this is very interesting.
The piggery is doing very fine too. We use the pig dung for gardeningand the feeding of the fish.We started a project of planting Eucalyptus trees. We have done the planting for 2 years now, the year2019we planted600 trees and in2020 we planted 700 trees. We will continue this year 2021 to extend it.
There are still internally displaced persons with us in the center, from children to adults. Many are enrolled in the school. From time to time, we have visitors who come to support the center with food items and detergent for laundry. We appreciate them. The Pastor has continued to be helpful at the center.Sometimes Groups of the organization visit the center. We thank God for his hand of mercy upon our lives.
The Agape Unity ProgramThe Agape Unity Program ended their 2020 activity years with satisfaction, counting their successes in almost all their targeted areas. From the provision of medical assistance to persons living with disabilities, distribution of epileptic dugs to persons living with epilepsy, provision of basic needs to desperate cases of persons living with disabilities, provision of basic needs to Internally Displaced Person and finally the celebration of the International Day of Persons Living With Disabilities, it was all successful in our effort to improve on the living conditions of underprivileged persons especially Persons Living with Disabilities. Despite the persisting socio-political crisis in the North West and the global COVID 19 Pandemic the Agape unity program team took it upon themselves as a call to serve Gods people with ‘special abilities’ as persons with disabilities are sometimes referred to in different localities in the North West, West and South West Regions of Cameroon including Bafut, Donga and Mantung with focus in Ndu, Bui with focus in Nkum, Ndop, Mbouda in the West Region and lately Foumbot also in the West Region hosting a good number of the Internally Displaced Persons.
Towards the close of the year the Agape Unity team in a grand event at the Nseh Fons palace joined the international community to commemorate the international Day of persons living with disabilities. This occasion presentedan opportunity for persons with disabilities to socialize with the highest authority in the community - the fon and to listen to different health talks from health specialist.
Last but not the least of our activities was our annual end of year meeting to evaluate the activities implemented in the year and to planned and strategized activities for 2021. This event took place at the mother house in Bafut after over three years that it was not possible and the following areas were highlighted to be focused on in 2021 - Health, Epilepsy, assistive devices, basic needs and income generating activities.
We are hopeful that with the commitment of the team in place our vision of making life better for persons living with disabilities will be greatly improved upon in 2021. Thanks for your time to read and for all you are to us. May God continue to bless,strengthen and keep us all.
With love and gratitude,
Sister Shalom
Prioress
=> please remember to hold our dear sisters in prayer - for their ministry, their health and teaching ministry, their community life together, for safety in difficult circumstances, and in the midst of COVID pandemic.
No comments:
Post a Comment