Morristown rummage sale to benefit Village Angels of Tanzania, July 11

The Franciscan Sisters of St. Bernadette in Tanzania
The Franciscan Sisters of St. Bernadette in Tanzania
0

By Marie Pfeifer

Assumption School in Morristown will hold a rummage sale on July 11, 2015, from 9 am to 4 pm to raise funds for The Village Angels of Tanzania, Africa.

 

The Franciscan Sisters of St. Bernadette in Tanzania
The Franciscan Sisters of St. Bernadette in Tanzania

Sister Dativa Mukebita , of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Bernadette in Tanzania, has a master’s degree in health services administration and became aware of a need for care of the elderly through the death of a woman living alone in a small village.

The woman suffered a fractured hip and died from lack of medical care, lying on the floor of her home for several days without food or water.

The Village Angels of Tanzania was conceived to pair jobless youths and the unattended elderly poor in the Ngara District, in the northwestern  corner of Tanzania, near Lake Victoria.

This is a remote area whose inhabitants survive on subsistence agriculture.  Sadly, the region is known for the great influx of refugees from the devastating Rawanda genocide of 1995.

The Village Angels program is scheduled to begin operations in August 2015, when Sister Dativa returns to Tanzania.    Two acutely underserved groups — forsaken elders and at-risk unemployed young people, will be served.

Local unemployed young people will be recruited and trained by the FSSB Sisters to help the elderly with:

  • Cooked food three times a week
  • Assistance with household tasks
  • Checking their vital signs
  • Administering over-the-counter medications
  • Assisting with activities of daily living
  • Companionship

They will also be trained in horticulture, sewing, arts and crafts, and soap-making.  Surplus food and handmade products will be sold to help fund the program.

Assumption School is at 63 Macculloch Ave.

LEAVE A REPLY