A Missionary
Looks at Jamaica
page two
 Housing
for the Poor
For one
thing, we are trying to provide housing for the people who need it.
Some are completely homeless; others are living in tiny places the size
of a one-car garage. Their little shacks, usually made of zinc, have
dirt floors. When the temperature is 90 or 92 degrees, you can see the
steam rising from them. right: at the dump
With
the help of an organization called "Food for the Poor," based in the
U.S., we get lumber and zinc to build small houses (12 by 20 feet) for
the poor. They have no electricity, no running water, but they are paradise
for people who either have had nothing, or only a shack for a home.
Presently, we are trying to build 30 new houses a month.
Care for the
Elderly and Abandoned
Another
pressing need is care of the elderly and abandoned. We have a home for
75 elderly and abandoned who are given loving care by Mother Teresa's
Sisters. It's beautiful to see the love the Sisters have for their charges.
We need a few more such homes for the indigent.
 Besides
the elderly, there are the children. Our Jamaican people love children
and, thanks be to God, we have relatively few abortions. But they have
lots of children. A mother with six or seven children and no husband
may be forced to let one of her children go, usually the youngest, and
she will abandon the child at the doorstep of a church, a hospital,
or police station.
We have
two orphanages. St. John Bosco, conducted by the Sisters of Mercy, is
for older boys from 7 to 18 and has an enrollment of 150 boys. The second
orphanage, Our Lady of Hope in Black River -- just started recently
by the Daughters of Mary -- is for children of a very young age who
grow in a family atmosphere created by sisters, priests and volunteers.
There are 12 children there now.right: Jamaican youngsters with Bishop
Boyle.
education
A
Missionary Looks at Jamaica -
beginning •
One
of a Jamaican Kind: Fr Bertram Chin, C.P.
A
Retreat House Keeping Dreams Alive
• Sister Una Is Building a College
Editor's Note •
Act
With Compassion
send
questions or comments to Compassion
Copyright 2001 - all rights reserved - Passionist Missionaries of Union
City, NJ, USA
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