Bethlehem's star
Irish nun tells Bernie Healy how ElectricAID assisted African orphan school
Though in two very different parts of the world, the picture that the word 'Bethlehem' conjures up is somewhat similar. Bethlehem in the Holy Land was where Mary was turned away from the inn and had to shelter in a stable to give birth over 2,000 years ago.
Today, Bethlehem in South Africa is also trying to shelter and educate many orphans who have lost their parents through AIDS. Sister Bernadette Barber, attached to the Holy Rosary Sisters in Killeshandra, is one such 'guardian angel' who is working hard to bring a different future to Oom Japie School in Ficksburg, Free State, South Africa. Celebrating her Golden Jubilee in 2007 she has been helping educate children in Africa since 1965.
ESB's Denis Blanch first told Sr. Bernadette about ElectricAid. The enthusiastic nun originally from Kimmage lost no time in making a request for funds. ElectricAid donated €10k in early 2006 to help furnish a block of classrooms in 2006. This, she says, has enabled the school to say they can get what they need and gives the staff and pupils back some self esteem.
There are 10 schools in the Bethlehem diocese in the Free State, all with the same problems. It is a wide area with up to 5,000 children and around 250 teaching staff with one white volunteer teacher. School fees are about &euro3 a year and Sr. Bernadette compliments the tremendous effort of the staff who find it difficult to raise funds.
AIDS is a huge issue in the area and many of the children are orphans whose extended family cannot afford to keep them. The hope of Sr. Bernadette and the team there is to build an attached hostel to the school.
"Most of the children do not have birth certificates so therefore cannot access identity cards and as a result have no access to child support." Some of the kids have never had an adult in their lives while their ages range from two to 19.
"We try to provide all the orphans with a cooked lunch, as far as the food will go. We have already established a vegetable garden in the school and with some help from Breadline Africa all the children have a nourishing hot lunch every day," says Sr. Bernadette.
Many of the schools have to opt for prefabs as they cannot afford regular classrooms. Academically the schools are performing at prize winning level and any funds received as a result are diverted into the upkeep of computers etc. Though the climate is hot is can go down to minus 15 at night in winter so lack of electricity and hot water is also a problem. "At the moment we need to install electricity and bringing poles to our school will cost approximately €800," said Sr. Bernadette. With an ever growing number of orphans, the schools are now reaching saturation point.
In 2007, there is still no room at the inn.
