Scottish Catholic Observer

In November 2013, Pope Francis released his first Apostolic Exhortation entitled Evangelii Gaudium: Living the Joy of the Gospel. Acclaimed as a beautifully written, easily understood, visionary and inspirational document, it challenges the contemporary global Church to unite against a world where there is a growing ‘indifference to the poor and vulnerable.’

Responding every day to Pope Francis’ call to ‘move forward, boldly take the initiative, [and] go out to others…’ the Pontifical Mission Societies [PMS] around the world work with children, communities and Church leaders to support the local Church overseas and to share the light of Christ by combating injustice, disease, poverty and exploitation in 170 countries. The Pontifical Mission Societies exist because 40 per cent of the worldwide Catholic Church is too poor to support itself.

As the Church around the world prepares for Mission Month 2014 in October, the stories from missionaries continue to remind us of their heroic work to bring hope and the joy of Christ to people in mission dioceses. Two inspirational stories from Uganda highlight this work.

A safe haven and a home

When night falls, the streets of a big city are often a terrifying and dangerous place for an unaccompanied child. Kampala is no different. Yet many children still sleep—often alone—in the streets and alleyways of the Ugandan capital.

Young and vulnerable girls are often abused and mistreated. While they will try to gather in groups in an attempt to find safety in numbers, their security is never guaranteed. For many it is often just a matter of time before they are forcibly exploited. However, one very special congregation of sisters is striving to make a difference in the lives of these vulnerable young girls, and with the support of PMS, is providing them with a safe place to call home.

In 1998, realising the gravity of the situation, the Ugandan Sisters of the Good Samaritan established the St Elizabeth’s Girls Home in the south-western suburbs of the nation’s capital. Their aim was to provide young girls in Kampala, as well as elsewhere in Uganda, with a safe haven and a happier childhood. Sixteen years on, the centre’s six nuns and twenty-eight support staff now care for 139 girls in need.

Sr Catherine Akiiki has been at St Elizabeth’s for 14 years. A Sister of the Good Samaritan herself, Sr Catherine says the centre aims to provide a full range of support so the girls can make the transition from the streets into education and employment: “They learn skills such as catering, tailoring, entrepreneurship and computer skills.”

Further, explaining that the girls are mostly rescued from extremely dire situations, Sr Catherine said: “One of the main reasons these girls are on the street is because they have lost parents to HIV/AIDS and often they, too, are infected. Many others are born on the street and are drug-addicted from birth. They need treatment.” The Sisters at St Elizabeth’s offer care, guidance and support while the girls learn skills to improve their employment prospects. Such is their fondness for St Elizabeth’s and the sisters that, upon finding jobs and moving out, many graduates continue to return to visit the centre and mentor other young girls.

Mary Nabutomo chose to come to St Elizabeth’s two years ago. An orphan who never knew her parents, Mary was found collecting rubbish in the streets of Kampala in order to earn just enough to feed herself. Abused and mistreated, 11-year-old Mary had nowhere to go; the streets were her home. Then she was offered a lifeline.

“She had been staying with other kids and there was a leader who forced them to drink, so they became submissive,” Sr Catherine said.

“When the leader died and the kids were threatened and chased from the town, they came to Kampala, not knowing what else to do. After two months in the streets, we found her and offered her food as she was so hungry.”

Now aged 13, Mary is happily enrolled in school. She had begun studying tailoring and hairdressing at St Elizabeth’s but the call of an education in a school environment was too strong and she was soon crunching numbers with her friends in Maths, her favourite subject. When she is older, Mary aspires to be a famous singer like her idol Michael Jackson.

“When I become a big singer in Kampala, I want to build my own house,” she said. For this young girl, studying, singing and playing netball at St Elizabeth’s is a far cry from the fear of living day to day in the seedy streets of Uganda’s biggest city.

Mary can allow herself to dream, as the centre has crafted many success stories in the past sixteen years, thanks in part to the generous support of PMS donors. The sisters see the strengths in each girl and tailor their education and training accordingly.

One alumna now works for a bank, while another studies for her Masters degree. These are just two examples of the positive outcomes achievable by girls in the care of St Elizabeth’s.

Urgent support is needed, however, to allow girls like Mary to enhance their skills and become fully self-reliant. With the cost of living increasing daily, the centre struggles to pay the bills. Food alone costs over £1650 per month, while accommodation, training and formation expenses amount to almost the same. In addition to the financial burdens, St Elizabeth’s is no longer big enough to cater sufficiently for the 139 children living there. Some girls have to share beds in the two dormitories that each house over fifty young residents, and there remains a lack of some equipment essential to certain classes, including electric cookers, hairdressing equipment and sewing machines.

Through the generosity of supporters, PMS aims to continue its support of the centre as it addresses these challenges. St Elizabeth’s Girls Home looks forward to remaining a safe, happy and empowering environment for Mary and other girls in need across Kampala, well into the future.

From porridge to the priesthood

It is early evening but already the cold is biting as a little boy sits down at the table with his parents and six siblings. Weak from hunger, he glances from bowl to bowl, wondering how much he will eat tonight. The boy cannot hide his disappointment as his mother spoons a small serving into the bowl: porridge, again. His stomach growls, but his heart breaks as he watches his mother, tears in her eyes, try to make the food extend to each of her children. He also wonders if she’ll eat at all tonight.

This is a snapshot of life in a Ugandan family struggling with severe poverty. Robert Kayiwa was once that little boy. Every night the same story played out for him and his family, and although he is now 23 and studying to become a priest, he is still saddened by those particularly painful memories of his childhood.

“My parents were farmers and I grew up in very poor conditions. Porridge was all we could afford to eat,” he recalled. With three brothers and as many sisters in his family, making ends meet was a constant, heartbreaking struggle for Robert’s parents.

On the cold mornings in the rainy seasons, Robert would resent trudging to school without shoes. His feet freezing and caked with mud, he blamed his mother and father, wishing they had the money to buy him boots or trainers.

“I was only in my fifth year of primary school before my parents could afford a pair of shoes for me,” he explained. “They could barely afford to send me even to a government school. They had to sell their own crops to raise enough money.”

Robert would often spend months away from the classroom until his parents could afford to send him. Lonely at home, and missing his friends at school, Robert would read his sisters’ textbooks voraciously to keep pace until he could return. His sisters would teach him when they could. When they couldn’t, he’d teach himself. Despite long spells out of school, his natural flair for study and his steadfast work ethic meant Robert was soon excelling academically.

A British school was so impressed by his strong marks that they offered to sponsor his studies from abroad. By the time he graduated, remarkably, he was the top student in his class. For this largely self-taught student, it was the end of an incredible stage of the journey. Given his underprivileged background, Robert was tempted by university and the chance at a well-paying career. However, he had always been devoted to Jesus. It was a quality that his peers spotted in their friend early on.

“My classmates recognised a spiritual element in me, which I myself had not yet acknowledged,” he said. He became an altar boy in year five, a position which he cherished.

“At that age, and as I grew older, I found myself wanting to pray and serve at the altar,” he says. By the time he was 18 and finishing school, Robert had listened to his calling, and he was accepted into the seminary soon after finishing school.

Fast forward to an unseasonably sunny day at St Mbaaga’s Major Seminary just outside of the Ugandan capital Kampala. Robert is now 23; his hands dirty and calloused as he loads vegetables into a waiting truck to be transported to the market. He shouts instructions to friends he has drafted in to help on a particularly busy day on the seminary’s farm.

Having once so resented a similar environment, Robert is now a team leader as he works on the farm to pay his way through seminarian studies.

“Because I grew up in a farming family, I have experience with this work,” he says. “I am glad I can use my skills to help cover my fees.”

No longer dependent on his parents, Robert now realises the sacrifices that they made to help him on his way. As he continues on his path to priesthood, he draws on them for inspiration, as well as his favourite Bible verse, John 10:10: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” The verse sums up Robert’s personal mission: “As a priest I want to serve the needy people of my country,” he said. “I know what it is like, so I want to help people with their problems.”

Despite the challenges that Robert faces in the seminary, including a lack of materials such as current textbooks and computers, and overcrowding of the seminary—often meaning room-sharing is necessary —Robert continues to remain positive, which is not difficult since he has been here before: “I am from a poor family, I am used to it,” he said.

Even in difficult times when his ‘spirit is low’, Robert finds inspiration in those around him, in his calling and in the support he has received from PMS donors. To them, he said: “Thank you very much. Without you, we would lack facilities; we could not manage. We pray for you, thank you!”

— Mission Matters Scotland is the working name of MISSIO Scotland. It is the only organisation to guarantee support for every one of the 1100 mission dioceses in the world. To support the work of Mission Matters Scotland call: 01236 449774 or e-mail: national.office@

— www.missionmattersscotland.org