Overseas visit planned by MU

The concept for the trip came from a challenge laid down by Bishop Ken Good at an overseas meeting in 2006. On that occasion five Mothers’ Union members from Ballyholme Parish Church Bangor, had shared their experiences of a trip they had made to Kenya. So inspirational was their story that Bishop Ken challenged the members of Derry and Raphoe to organise a trip overseas to meet with Mothers’ Union members in Africa.

The Bishop highlighted the centrality of Mothers’ Union in the lives of African women and paid tribute to the strength and vibrancy of their witness. He encouraged the members to become directly involved in their projects or to develop new ones with them.

Since then, an invitation has been extended from the Most Rev Dr Mouneer Hanna Anis, Bishop of the Episcopal Anglican Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa, who is President Bishop of the Episcopal Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East for a group of 10 to 12 ladies to visit Cairo for two weeks in 2013.

A Mothers’ Union steering group, consisting of Mary Good, Kay Clarke, Kaye Nesbitt, Ann Orr and Jennifer Given, has been established to plan for the trip under the guidance of CMSI.

The final details of the trip will be dependent on the skills of those going but is likely to include work in some of those areas supported in Cairo. These include the Harpur Memorial Hospital, Refuge Egypt programmes, a Vocational Training College for the deaf, the Episcopal School, the Menara School for Special Needs in Menouf, service through All Saints Cathedral, and working with Mothers’ Union groups with a Sudanese congregation.

Derry and Raphoe Mothers’ Union has a well established history of supporting work overseas. In 2011 members in the Derry diocese contributed over £8000 and those in Raphoe diocese €6000 for overseas work. This money provides financial assistance towards training events and sustainable progressive community development projects. Communities are encouraged and supported to direct their own development.

Local Mothers’ Union groups provide skills, knowledge contacts and man-power to make things happen. The Family Life Programme aims to bring together groups within communities, and prioritises common issues in the areas of health, nutrition hygiene, food security and environmental protection and management, and care for families with HIV/AIDS. The ethos of the Family Life Programme is to help people to believe in themselves and work together as a community.

The Mothers’ Union Literacy and Financial Education Programme is also funded by the generosity of members. This programme enables communities to acquire basic literacy and numeracy skills, alongside planning action on issues and challenges people face on a daily basis. The Mothers’ Union Relief Fund provides help in providing emergency financial relief to areas affected by natural disasters and to areas of the world experiencing famine due to prolonged drought, and where many people, especially children, suffer from malnutrition and die from starvation.

Derry and Raphoe members have supported all of these initiatives and are now looking forward to extending their experience overseas through the trip to Cairo.