File picture of a clinic in Ghana
Sr. Eithna Synnott, OLA reports on how a call for help from a health clinic in rural Ghana was met with wonderful generosity in Ireland in the space of three weeks.
On the 23rd of May last, I received an email from Sr. Mary Rita O’Mahony, OLA. Sr. Mary Rita, originally from Co. Cork, has spent over 50 years of her life on mission in Ghana. The OLA Province in Ghana recently opened a new convent in the rural village of Bepoase and the OLAs were invited to take over a health centre there. It had originally started as a maternity clinic and then expanded to a general clinic before it was handed over to the OLA Sisters. Sr. Mary Rita reported that the clinic itself is in dire need of a lot of equipment, even the most basic items that a clinic needs to function but it appears the clinic had very little money before. Sr. Faustina Anakwa, OLA, a nurse by profession, was tasked with running the clinic. Several other villages around Bepoase depend on the clinic and there is not even one hospital in the whole Mampong Diocese which covers an area of 11,000 square kilometres. Sr. Mary Rita’s email concluded by making a special appeal for assistance “in the year of mercy” with equipping the clinic.
In a matter of days, we had a heart-warming response to Sr. Mary Rita’s email. I think it was just a case of the right question to the right person at the right time and place that was able to contact the right people in the right places!
I made contact firstly with the Armagh Apostolic Society and they gave £1,000. One of our mite box helpers in Maghera, Co. Derry who runs a shop asked me if we had any project that her shop could help with and again the right person asking the right question at the right time. I met her for coffee about the mite boxes and it happened by chance (or maybe not!). Usually they only give £500 donations so it was a great surprise to get a £1,000!
Other people and groups, several chemists who support us already through having mite box on their premises, and a few GPs also helping with funds and equipment.
Since receiving Srm Mary Rita’s email, over £3,000 has been donated and a further two hospitals have offered equipment. On hearing news of one of these donations, Sr. Mary Rita wrote the following:
“Dear Eithna, Just got the wonderful news that another 1,000 has been sent for Bepoase Clinic. A thousand thanks for doing all this for us. When I phoned Sr. Faustina she was speechless with joy. She has tried to email you several times but each was a failure – Bepoase is very remote and there may be no connections there. We have real Irish weather here having been raining for several days -I’m the only one enjoying it. Every blessing. Sr. Mary Rita.”
Thank you to all for your prayerful support and financial contributions to our work on the missions!
Read more about the might boxes here: The Small but Mighty Mite Box