The Mill Hill Missionary community at St. Jozefhuis, Oosterbeek, had the privilege of welcoming some twenty odd friends on the annual ‘Friends Day’, this past Saturday.
An atmosphere of great delight and occasional surprise – ‘What a surprise to see you again after so many years!’ characterised the personal encounters. Long lost friends and classmates updated each other on personal history over a cup of coffee and generally delighted in this opportunity to meet again.
Mill Hill Missionary Associate, Jacinta van Luijk, was the keynote speaker in the morning programme. Her detailed Powerpoint Presentation of the multiple activities of the Kitale Community Advancement Programme (KAP) targeting the most marginalised and painfully neglected of Kenyan society made a deep impression of the audience. Recent disturbing changes in European and American policies – discontinuation of USAID and sharp reduction in development aid in many European countries – are having devastating effects in countries like Kenya.
Jacinta painted a disturbing picture of a youthful Kenyan society in profound crisis. We marvelled at the passionate involvement of the dedicated KAP team – both professional and compassionate – among the most neglected and forgotten – Aids victims, drug addicts, victims of gender related violence. Jacinta’s presentation, larded with stark statistics and disturbing images, left us all with a vicarious feeling of near despair and powerlessness. ‘Understandable’, Jacinta commented, ‘but our team also has a healthy sense of humour, and rarely feels overwhelmed’.
Our Regional Manager, Paulwillem Lommerde, and Regional, Ben Engelbertink, filled us in on recent developments in the situation and organisation of the Dutch Region. Future governability of the Dutch Region stood out as a major concern.
Fons Eppink MHM
