Newsletter - march 2019

Dear friends,

Here is the second circular letter of this year including an article by father Sjaak de Boer

Agenda
On 26-05, 21-07 and 11-08 Piet and Joanna Neefjes have their garden open from 11.00 to 17.00 as part of the ‘Groene Route’. The address is Vok Koomenweg 5 in Wervershoof. The small entry price is to support Auxilia-Brasilia-ja.

“They Don’t really Care about us”
This heading is from Michael Jackson’s video clip, which he recorded in the slums of Rio de janiero in 1996 with a large band of street-children beating their drums. It was the introduction for a conference on insurance for people needing ongoing care.

I was the “Mystery Guest” at a large gathering of 500 legal staff in Rotterdam, who defend the interest of the patient when the insurance companies fail to provide it. In a line of speakers who approached the subject from a legal point of view, I was asked to introduce the old value of charity. What can an insurance company or a care system reasonably provide? What reasonable demands can we place on our health care system? Insurance companies can pay the bill but does that provide the care we really need?

In many countries, people who suffer have no resources to fall back on whatsoever. Children living in the street have very few institutions that defend their wellbeing. It takes a celebrity and the media to draw attention to the idea that we have a responsibility to the life that is entrusted to our care, especially when it concerns the most vulnerable.

The old biblical advice to put the person at the center is still good advice in a world where money determines the absence or presence of care. The words care and caritas come from the same root. They embody the idea that it is freely given; gratis as an act of grace. A good start for showing that we care for every human being and not only for those who have the luxury of being insured.
Father Sjaak

Mieke Lakeman
In January 2019 she cycled 300 km, from Sierra Leone to Liberia, to visit school projects for the world's most vulnerable children. She wanted to draw attention to the children and teachers who unfortunately are still financially dependent on others to go to school. Every child deserves to go to school! "During this visit I want to take as much money as possible to let more children go to school and to improve education".
Via Streetchild we have been able to give Mieke some money.

FoodVillage started its fourth project in December 2018 since its inception. This project will again be realized in Uganda at the St. Marys Primary Teacher College in Bukedea in the northeast of Uganda. This is an institute where girls are trained to become teachers.
There are about 300 students in training.
"This project is a copy of our other project in Uganda (in Tororo). It concerns the construction of a garden with an irrigation system, a fruit garden and a fence. Building a chicken- coop and the purchase of 300 chickens, including feed for the first three months. We are going to work together again with the same contractor as in Tororo. And this project is again supported by Wilde Ganzen ".
* Start of this project in December 2018.
* Planned completion in January 2019 ".
Auxilia-Brasili-ja has sponsored the construction of the chicken-coop and the purchase of 300 chickens

Every year the children of the primary schools Werenfridus and Schelp in Wervershoof participate in the Vastenactie. Every year they choose a project or foundation that they want to support. This year the honour has come to us. We will present ourselves as well as possible at both schools.

During our meeting in February, Wouter de Groot told us about his participation in realizing an earthquake-resistant community centre in Nepal. An impressive story about how that centre came about. His story has led us to at least double the funds raised by the school children during the vastenactie and to donate that to "4 a Purpose", the organization to which Wouter has committed himself.

KvK: 371000429   Bank: NL16 RABO 03689.48.870 t.n.v. Auxilia