BY Daniel Harkins | March 20 | 
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MSPs visit missionary and town in Malawi supported by Scots
A group of MSPs travelled to Malawi recently to visit the work of an Italian missionary who has been supported by Catholic school pupils and readers of the SCO.
Elaine Smith, Labour MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, was joined by the SNP’s James Dornan and the Liberal Democrats’ Liam McArthur as they witnessed first-hand the missionary work carried out by Sr Anna Tommasi, an Italian Franciscan nun who has worked in the country for over a decade.
Supported by pupils from St Margaret’s High School in Airdrie, the missionary has helped hundreds of children and vulnerable people—including wrongfully convicted prisoners in the country.
The MSPs witnessed a performance from inmates at the Bvumbwe juvenile prison including song, dance and drama before taking in their difficult living conditions.
Many of those incarcerated in the prison are there simply because they are unable to pay fines, while many others are innocent.
The MSPs found the case of one boy who accidentally killed a goat that was eating his soap by throwing a stone at it. He couldn’t pay the £20 fine and was imprisoned for a year.
During their visit, the MSPs handed out flip flops, funded by St Margaret’s High, which were requested by Sr Tommasi as they help prevent parasites entering the boys’ bodies through their feet.
The prisoners were later provided with a meal donated by the St Margaret’s community in part thanks to donations from two Scottish Catholic Observer readers, who had provided funds to the school after reading stories about the pupils’ work.
Mrs Smith, the deputy presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament, said her visit was a ‘harrowing experience’ but ‘well worth it if we brought some comfort and hope to the boys as well as supporting Sr Anna in her work.’
Andrew McKay, an English teacher at St Margaret’s, thanked the two SCO readers for their donations and said it was good to see politicians getting involved especially as they had brought members of the Malawian Parliament along to push for legislative change.
— Anyone wishing to help Sr Tommasi’s work can get touch with her at [email protected].
—Read the full version of this story in the March 20 edition of the SCO in parishes from Friday.
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