Update from USPG Ireland
The situation continues to worsen in Swaziland as the global economic decline continues to hit the poor and vulnerable hardest. Andrew & Rosemary Symonds, the USPGI mission team there, report the government is so short of money that teachers and nurses are not being paid; funds are no longer available to send cancer patients to South Africa for life–saving treatment; and, in a country with the highest HIV/AIDS infection rate in the world , supplies of the drugs needed to keep people alive have almost run out.
As it becomes increasingly difficult to attract donor aid, the Symonds hope to bring the love and comfort of God in practical ways. They are assisting the diocese of Swaziland in the setting up of a Farm Project to make use of one of Swaziland’s few remaining resources – land. They are entering into local partnerships to grow baby–vegetables for export. USPGI is raising funds to help these people help themselves. Visit the project page
here
USPGI is also working hard to keep the world abreast of conditions facing the Anglican Church in Zimbabwe. Faithful clergy have been arrested, threatened, thrown out of their homes and churches, and face trumped up charges. More and more have been replace by those loyal to the Mugabe regime. The Bishop of Harare, Chad Gandiya, was recently held at gunpoint with his family while his home was ransacked. The gunmen seemed most interested in taking the bishop’s communication equipment, targeting laptops and mobile phones while ignoring other portable valuables. USPGI has been letting the world know about the attack on Bishop Chad and raising funds to replace the stolen equipment.
For more information go to the USPG Ireland website
here
.