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Photo by
Sr. Jean Raspolich, mpf
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Where We Are...
 Albania
St. Lucy Filippini Foundation
Our mission is well equipped with a school bus to transport the children, a van for smaller groups, a jeep for the Sisters and a camper (RV) to use for medical treatment of the gypsy women and children, thanks to the good benefactors who have made it possible for us to obtain these vehicles. With the help of our benefactors, we have put in electrical generators and water purifiers in the school and the convent. Without clean water the children will easily contract many diseases. The local people come for water at our mission. We welcome them and all others in need of clean water.
In 2005 we celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Sisters’ arrival in Berat, Albania. The elementary school now has five grades. Catechetical programs are in place, and the Sisters spend hours teaching in these programs. Each year many parents and students go through the RCIA program, a duration of two years required by the Bishop. After fifty years of a Communist regime it is difficult for the people to adjust to a world where a God does exist!
The Sisters have a small RV that they use on Sundays to go to the Gypsy villages. The Sisters pay a doctor to go with them. The gypsy women will never go to a male doctor but they will talk to the Sisters and since we have brought the doctor to them they will visit with him! The children love when the Sisters arrive and treat their own small wounds. The Gypsies in Albania were made to live in one place during the regime and have kept to that custom. This makes it easier to locate them and help them. Gypsy children rarely attend school but because of the goodness of the Sisters, they come to our school. Many of the children are now getting an education.
Scouting sponsored by the Sisters has helped to change the teenagers in Berat. When the Sisters first arrived we were warned by the Bishop and the Salesians to work only with the little children, as the teenagers were incorrigible. Sr. Rita started a scouting troop! To join the troop, it was necessary for the young members to sign their name. Having never been in school, they could neither read nor write. So Sr. Rita began by teaching them how to sign their names. From this simple lesson, they began to learn how to write and spell, etc. These boys and girls had never been to school and most were 15 to 18 years old!
To teach these teenagers some math Sr. Rita began with the compass and taught them about degrees. They learned how to calculate the miles of their hikes, and poundage of the equipment they would carry, etc. How proud they were of their accomplishments! At first they were a very rag-tag group far from a formal scout troop. Today they have uniforms and receive badges for accomplishments. These Scouts became great friends of the Sisters and will do anything for them. Today the Scout program is still full and flourishing with teenagers who today can read and write.
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Albania is a parliamentary democracy that is transforming its economy into a market-oriented system. Albania's per capita income is among the lowest in Europe, but economic conditions in the country are steadily improving. The average income is approximately $4,700 per year. Tourist facilities are not highly developed in much of the country, and though Albania's economic integration into European Union markets is slowly underway, many of the goods and services taken for granted in other European countries are not yet available.
Although the overall security situation in Albania has improved in recent years, organized criminal activity continues to operate in all regions, and corruption is pervasive. Photographing anything that authorities consider to be of military or security interest is not permitted. Gatherings of large crowds are forbidden, particularly those involving political causes or striking workers.
Medical facilities and capabilities in Albania are limited beyond rudimentary first aid treatment. Emergency and major medical care requiring surgery and hospital care is inadequate due to lack of specialists, diagnostic aids, medical supplies, and prescription drugs.
Recent electricity shortages have resulted in sporadic blackouts throughout the country, which can affect food storage capabilities of restaurants and shops. While some restaurants and food stores have generators to properly store food, travelers are advised to take care that food is cooked thoroughly to reduce the risk of food-borne illness. Water in Albania is not potable.
Major roads in Albania are often in very poor condition. Traveling by road throughout Albania is the most dangerous activity for locals and tourists. Vehicle accidents are the major cause of death, according to police statistics. Electricity shortages have resulted in sporadic blackouts throughout the country that can happen any hour of the day or night. Such outages affect traffic signals and street lights, making driving increasingly treacherous at any time of day. Travel at night outside the main urban areas is dangerous and should be avoided due to deplorable road conditions. During the winter months, travelers may encounter dangerous snow and icy conditions on the roads throughout mountainous regions in northern Albania. Buses travel between most major cities almost exclusively during the day. They are often unreliable and uncomfortable. Many travelers looking for public transport prefer to use privately owned vans, which function as an alternate system of bus routes and operate almost entirely without schedules or set fares. There are no commercial domestic flights and few rail connections.
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Brazil
Mater Divinae Gratiae Vice Province
The jewel of the Brazilian Vice Province is the Collegio in Sao Paulo. Thousands of students from the poorest sections of the city get a chance at a good education and the possibility to go on to the University or a good technical school. The children range in age from 2 years to 18 years; The school has three sessions (7 a.m. to 12 noon; 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.; 7p.m. to 9 p.m. for women). The preschool boasts of an on site zoo allowing the children from the poor favellas to see nature up close.
Also in Sao Paulo, Penteado area is our Women Promotion Center. Recently renovated, thanks to generous benefactors, the school provides training in cooking, sewing, industrial suit making, dress design, and countless crafts, knitting, crocheting and native art work. Each day 80 women arrive at the center. They begin with a half hour of prayer, and continue with spiritual and psychological training sessions.
At the Motherhouse in Sao Paulo, there are daily sessions for the local senior women of the area. Most of them are from very poor sections of the town; many of them have been abused by their husbands. It is a special time for them when they can come out of their shanties and are able to spend time with other women their age. They learn meditation, aerobics, dancing, tai chi and yoga. One of the Junior Sisters runs the program for approximately 120 women who come each day.
Miracatu is a good two-hour drive from Sao Paulo. It is a very poor town that survives by the cultivation of bananas on large plantations. The only structure of significance is the bus depot. Anyone traveling to Sao Paulo or Rio by bus must stop at this depot. It is here that many little girls 6-9 years of age are sold to men for illicit sexual pleasure. In 1992 the Vice Province decided to take a stand on this. With the help of benefactors the Sisters were able to restore their old school building and convent so it could accommodate the girls. The Sisters would go each day and watch at the station. When a little girl would be sold they would buy the girl back from the man that purchased her. Some families sell their daughters for an hour; some for the day and some, outright. The Sisters presently have 78 little girls with them. Since 1992 hundreds of girls have been rescued by the Sisters. All have received a good education, learned marketable skills, and the opportunity to go to the University. Today the local government provides food for the girls and is slowly working to change conditions at the station.
At Peruibe-Caraguava the Sisters have a K-12 school for the local children. This town is a shore town with many poor families. Here many children are kidnapped and murdered in order to procure their organs. The Sisters, with the help of benefactors, have secured the school with a beautiful wall and electronic gates. Watchman present at all times make sure that the children are safe and get home safely.
Many poor women live on the outskirts of town. The Sisters have built simple homes for them. The women call themselves the Comunidade de S. Lucia. More than 200 women, most single moms, and sadly most of them afflicted with AIDS receive help from the Sisters. Each week the Sisters bring bags of groceries to them and their children. On weekends the Sisters teach catechism and prepare the children for the Sacraments.
A thirty-two hour bus ride will get you to our farthest mission in Brazil on the border of Bolivia--Vilhena! For more than 25 years the Sisters have been providing for these people in the extreme west of Brazil. When the Sisters first arrived the people were so poor, many did not have adequate clothing. Today most of the people have work and the school has classes from K-12 with about 1000 students. There is one priest in the town responsible for 40 parishes! The Bishop of the Diocese is responsible for 52 parishes! We must pray for good priestly vocations! At the present time, the Sisters perform weddings, funerals, baptisms and communion services until the priest returns from his rounds of the parishes.
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Brazil, a nation the size of the lower 48 United States, has an advanced developing economy. The income per capita is $7,480. The capital is Brasilia. Political and labor strikes and demonstrations occur sporadically in urban areas causing temporary disruption to public transportation. In addition, criminal organizations, during 2006, staged several violent campaigns against public institutions in Sao Paulo leading to a large number of deaths. Criminals operate along the tri-border area of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. The are involved in the trafficking of illicit goods; some individuals in the area are financially supporting foreign terrorist organizations. Crime throughout Brazil has reached very high levels. The Brazilian police and the Brazilian press report that the rate of crime continues to rise, especially in the major urban centers – though it is also spreading in rural areas. Brazil’s murder rate is more than four times higher than that of the U.S. Rates for other crimes are similarly high. The majority of crimes are not solved.
Caution is advised with regard to nighttime travel through more rural areas and satellite cities due to reported incidents of roadside robberies that randomly target passing vehicles. Robbery and “quicknapping” outside of banks and ATM machines are common. In a “quicknapping,” criminals abduct victims for a short time in order to receive a quick payoff from the family, business or the victim’s ATM card.
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England
Mater Christi Region
Region In 1954 the first two Religious Teachers Filippini went to England from the United States at the invitation of Mr. and Mrs. Constable Maxwell of Alresford, Hampshire. They had witnessed the work of the Sisters in America and felt the need for such dedicated service among the scattered Catholic population of Hampshire, especially because of the shortage of Catholic schools in the area. At first the Sisters resided in a part of the Alresford House and worked in the local parish, catechizing, visiting homes, training choirs, etc. The following year the number of Sisters was increased to five--comprised of three American and two Italian Sisters—and they moved to what is now the Convent of St. Lucy in Medstead. The house and grounds were the generous gift of Mr. William Griffin, given in memory of his wife Isabel Carden Griffin, a sister of Mrs. Constable Maxwell. The Sisters went to live in. Medstead in August 1955; the official dedication took place on May 15, 1956, amid much solemnity.
During the ensuing years, a considerable development took place in the structural as well as the spiritual realms. A larger novitiate was built; a purpose built nursery and the larger chapel for the residents and local Catholics to attend Sunday Mass, as there was no Catholic Church in Medstead, were constructed. Elderly ladies were cared for in the Convent at the personal request of Archbishop John Henry King. Although through the years there were other Convents where the Sisters were active inthe apostolate, the Sisters are presently located in the parishes of St. Mary's, Alton, and St. Peter's, Winchester. They continue to operate the nursery school in each place, host retreat and other groups, are involved in catechetical and other parish programs, and are Eucharistic ministers also to the homebound.
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Eritrea
Mater Misericordiae Region
For more than 30 years we have operated a school for War Widows in Asmara (Eritrea). Upon completion of the courses, the women receive diplomas in sewing, embroidery, dress design, and cooking. Once the training is completed, the women either enter the workforce or start their own micro enterprise. While they are learning these skills, their children are attending our pre-school. We now have more than 300 children in the pre-school.
Because of the excessive number of young women dying in childbirth in the city of Hamelmalo, , the elders of the city asked us to build an emergency clinic. It is the only health facility for miles so many people come for medical help to the Sisters. We have an ambulance for transportation of the most serious cases to the hospital in Keren nearby. Besides having delivered hundreds of babies since the opening of the clinic in 2005, the Sisters also provide food and clothing for 1500 local children, most of whom have been orphaned by the death of their parents from AIDS.
In 2008 non-Eritreans were forced to leave the country. Two of our Sisters had to leave, however there are 12 native Sisters who have remained with the Aspirants, Postulants, and Novices. Sr. Virginia Jamele and Mother General visited Eritrea briefly this year. After a brief visit, they had to return to Rome. Work permits are not issued to non-Eritreans.
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Eritrea is a poor East African country that is rapidly developing. Its capital is Asmara. Formerly a province of Ethiopia, Eritrea became an independent country on May 24, 1993, following a 30-year struggle that culminated in an overwhelming referendum vote for independence. The average income is about $1,110 per year.
In 1998-2000 Eritrea and Ethiopia fought a border war. United Nations peacekeepers patrolled the border until March 2008. Both Eritrea and Ethiopia maintain large military presences along the border and currently all border crossings into Ethiopia from Eritrea remain closed. Landmines and unexploded ordnances remain a serious problem throughout the country. There are reports of numerous incidents where vehicles and people accidentally detonate mines. Many detonations occur on relatively well-traveled roads in and near the Gash Barka region of western Eritrea; subsequent investigations indicated that several mines had been recently laid. Vast areas of the country still have not been certified free of mines and unexploded ordnance left over from both the 30-year war for independence and the subsequent 1998-2000 conflict with Ethiopia remain a dangerous threat.
Medical facilities in Eritrea are extremely limited. Travelers must carry their own supplies of prescription drugs and preventative medicines because pharmaceuticals are in short supply. Food and water-borne illnesses are very common among travelers, so they are advised to drink only bottled or purified water and to eat only foods that are cooked or peeled.
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Ethiopia
Mater Boni Consilii Region
There will be 470,000 new AIDS orphans this year in Ethiopia. Our Sisters provide food, shelter, education and love to thousands of these children in the Tigray Region. Our elementary schools are located in Adigrat, Goala, Sassi, and Zalambessa.
An elementary school diploma is vital in Ethiopia. Without this diploma, one cannot obtain a drivers’ license or purchase land. Girls with an elementary education only, run the risk of turning to prostitution to survive. The Sisters try to keep them in school by paying the older girls to come to our Home Economics programs. There they acquire skills that will help them live a life of dignity. They learn sewing, knitting, embroidery, first aid, cleaning, poultry-raising, bee keeping, dress design, cooking, pizza and gelato making, etc. So successful is this program that plans are now underway to open a similar home economics program in Zalambessa.
Our house and school in Zalambessa are located on the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea. During the Ethiopian-Eritrean conflict, our newly-built school and convent were bombed and destroyed. When the conflict ended, the people of Zalambessa rebuilt the school and convent even before rebuilding their own homes, so important was the school to them! Once the school was rebuilt, they began to reconstruct their devastated homes. Benefactors helped them and provided the necessary materials needed. We are opening a new Women’s Promotion Center in Zalambessa. A Spanish group, Manos Unidas, is paying for the renovations.
In Adigrat, an old building is being renovated for our orphan girls. Presently there are 40 girls living with the Sisters.
We have recently started a school for women in Tukul where, in addition to the skills mentioned above, they have the added opportunity to learn poultry-raising and bee-keeping. Besides the Women’s Promotion Center, we have a pre-school and an elementary school to grade 5 for their children. We are now seeking benefactors to help outfit this new school.
Not too long ago, we purchased a house, conveniently located near the airport, in Addis Ababa, the capital. It is currently used as a Novitiate. In the near future, we hope to have a school for children, an orphanage, and a school for women. We are still seeking benefactors to help us complete the purchase of this house.
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The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia is a developing country in East Africa. It is comprised of nine states and two city administrations. Its capital is Addis Ababa. The ruling EPRDF party and Prime Minister Meles Zenawi maintain strong control of the government and the economy. Despite several years of high economic growth, the country remains vulnerable to external economic shocks and recurring drought. The average yearly income is $720.
While Ethiopia is generally stable, domestic insurgent groups, extremists from Somalia, and the heavy military buildup along the northern border pose risks to safety and security. In the past year, there has been an increase in targeted bombings in Addis Ababa and in other parts of Ethiopia. In November 2008, the government of Ethiopia issued a warning to its citizens alerting them to the potential for terrorist attacks to unprecedented levels, and subsequently increased security measures. Targeted bombings in Addis Ababa and southeastern Ethiopia resulted in numerous injuries and deaths in 2008.
Ethiopia/Eritrea Border Area: Ethiopia and Eritrea signed a peace agreement in December 2000 that ended their border war. However, the border remains an issue of contention between the two countries. The border area is a militarized zone where the possibility of armed conflict between Ethiopian and Eritrean forces exists. People are advised to avoid travel in the areas along the Eritrean/Ethiopian border (within 50 km/30 miles of the Ethiopian/Eritrean border) because of the dangers posed by land mines and because of the possibility of conflict between Ethiopian and Eritrean defense forces.
Pick-pocketing, “snatch and run” thefts, and other petty crimes are common in Addis Ababa. These are generally crimes of opportunity rather than planned attacks. Travelers are advised to exercise caution in crowded areas and should avoid visiting the Mercato in Addis Ababa, a large open-air market. Violence in the Mercato has been on the rise. In 2008 an explosion in the Mercato killed several and wounded more than a dozen individuals. Also in 2008, there was a shooting in the Mercato Health facilities in Addis Ababa are very limited. Even the best hospitals in Addis Ababa suffer from inadequate facilities, antiquated equipment, and shortages of supplies (particularly medicines). There is a shortage of physicians. Emergency assistance is limited. Psychiatric services and medications are practically nonexistent. Serious illnesses and injuries often require travelers to be medically evacuated from Ethiopia to a location where adequate medical attention is available. Travelers must carry their own supplies of prescription drugs and preventive medicines, as well as a doctor's note describing the medication.
Malaria is prevalent in Ethiopia outside of the highland areas. Tuberculosis is an increasingly serious health concern in Ethiopia. Ethiopia is a mountainous country. Its high altitude may cause health problems, even for healthy travelers. Addis Ababa has an altitude of 8,300 feet. Travelers may experience shortness of breath, fatigue, nausea, headaches, and inability to sleep. Individuals with respiratory or heart conditions should consult with a health care professional before traveling to Ethiopia. Travelers to Ethiopia should also avoid swimming in any lakes, rivers, or still bodies of water. Most bodies of water have been found to contain parasites. Travelers should be aware that Ethiopia has a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS. Ethiopia has had outbreaks of acute diarrhea, possible cholera, and typhoid in the recent past, and the conditions for reoccurrences continue to exist.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Ethiopia has the highest rate of traffic fatalities per vehicle in the world. Roads in Ethiopia are poorly maintained, inadequately marked, and poorly lighted. Road travel after dark outside Addis Ababa and other cities is dangerous and discouraged due to hazards posed by broken-down vehicles left in the road, pedestrians walking in the road, stray animals, and the possibility of armed robbery. Road lighting in cities is inadequate at best and nonexistent outside of cities. Excessive speed, unpredictable local driving habits, pedestrians and livestock in the roadway, and the lack of basic safety equipment on many vehicles are daily hazards on Ethiopian roads. While travel during daylight hours on both paved and unpaved roads is generally considered safe, land mines and other anti-personnel devices can be encountered on isolated dirt roads that were targeted during various conflicts.
See AIDS Orphans Rising
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