The Daughters of Charity in Addis Ababa March 2013
The Daughters of Charity, (the “French nuns” as they used to be called here), are based in a very deprived part of Addis Ababa, where they work with and assist the local people. They operate two schools, a kindergarten / primary school and a secondary school. They run a clinic that deals with all medical problems but focuses on the large numbers suffering from HIV infection. They train women how to make clothing and a variety of smaller items such as shawls, scarves, wraps, tablecloths, runners, place mats etc which can be sold at market to provide an income. The Daughters also visit people in their homes and distribute money and clothing.
I will be traveling to Addis Ababa in April to work alongside the teachers in the primary school. Among the children attending school are some who were orphaned by AIDS and were rescued from the streets by the sisters. These children have been placed in foster homes and their foster parents are paid by the nuns to clothe, feed and send the children to school. The brightest among them receive scholarships to enable them attend the secondary school which has a very good reputation and attracts children from the middle classes whose parents can afford the fees. Both schools are “private” in that they receive no State funding. The Daughters pay the teachers’ salaries and provide whatever educational resources they can. The fees charged to the “wealthy” help to fund both schools. It costs approximately €200 a year to educate a child in the secondary school and this includes uniform and books. A small group in Malahide is sponsoring 6 children through their 4 years of secondary school.
If you would like to assist the Daughters in their work you can make a donation which I will take with me when I go. Any donation you care to make will go directly to the Daughters. There are no administration or other costs involved.
Vincent Conway