Bed appeal for township

A COMFORTABLE bed for the night is something most of us take for granted but for the children of the Missionvale township in South Africa this is something they can only dream of as they sleep on the cold, hard ground.
The people of Clare have, for a long time, supported the ongoing work of Sr Ethel Normoyle in Missionvale and this Christmas they can help give the township’s children a very special present of a bed.
This holiday season, Missionvale Ireland, the Clare-based charity supporting the work of Sr Normoyle in Missionvale, are running a Help Get Missionvale Off the Ground campaign. Through the campaign, people can purchase a custom-made bed, duvet and duvet cover, which will be shipped directly to a child in the Missionvale Township.
Located on the outskirts of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, the Missionvale township has been ravaged by disease, unemployment and malnutrition.
One person who knows all too well the hardships facing the people of Missionvale is Clare priest Fr Donagh O’Meara, who returned from a year working in the township in September.
“It was an extraordinary experience working in Missionvale and one that has left an indelible mark. The township has about 130,000 people, it’s a shanty town really. There’s no water, no electricity, people are living in what is basically a few pieces of galvanised steel put together. One in five people there have AIDS, it’s a huge challenge out there,” he said.
Speaking about the bed campaign, he said, “It’s really about finding a practical solution to the problems that are being faced out there. People are just sleeping on floors and it would be wonderful for them to have a place to sleep.”
He had nothing but high praise for the work of Sr Ethel Normoyle, who first came to Missionvale in the 1980s.
“She has been working there for the past 22 years and there is some amazing work going on.
“She has a whole complex out there, right in the centre of the township. There’s a school, feeding centre, which could have 400 people looking to be fed, outreach for people with AIDS and a garden project where people learn to grow their own. There’s an after-school project; the kids come from an awfully deprived place and they are trying their best to work with them in Missionvale,” he told us.
Recalling the scale of poverty in Missionvale, he said, “People here in Ireland are arguing about the recession but it’s all relative. I know there are people here who are facing real struggles but when you look at the townships and what they are facing, the kinds of challenges they have are unbelievable. For them, it’s about trying to survive,” he said.
“The World Cup was out in South Africa but that didn’t touch the people in the townships – they did not see any of the benefits.”
While the hardships facing the people of Missionvale are immense, Fr O’Meara said he brought back many positive experiences from his time in the townships.
“The scale of the problems there are so big, you could be overwhelmed by it. But if you can light one candle, help one person, it’s worth it. There is a deep appreciation from the people out there for what is being done. Their spirit is something I have taken away with me, despite what they are going through, they have enormous spirit. There is a real sense of getting through despite it all, which is extraordinary.”
Fr O’Meara thanked the people of Clare for their ongoing support of the work at Missionvale and he urged them to continue that good work by getting involved in the Help Get Missionvale Off the Ground campaign.
“With the involvement of Sr Ethel Normoyle, who is from Lissycasey, there has been a lot of support for Missionvale over the years from the people of Clare. They really have been fantastic and I would ask them to continue that support this Christmas,” he said.
The cost of sending the bed, duvet and cover is €30 and it is hoped to sell the majority of the beds via the website
www.missionvaleireland.org, where one can donate online.
“We’re asking people to buy a bed for the children of Missionvale as a Christmas present for their friends and loved ones. We are hoping to provide as many children as possible with their own fold-up bed.
“A prototype of this bed was sent to Sr Ethel and her team in early August 2010 and after various alterations and product amendments, we are now in a position to ship hundreds of customised beds, duvets and duvet covers directly to Missionvale Township,” explained Ollie O’Loughlin, chairperson of Missionvale Ireland.