While living in Port Elizabeth, South Africa in 2008-2009, I volunteered with Missionvale Care Center. My first visit to the Care Center was jolting and within minutes of arriving, I knew my heart would never be the same.
Nothing could have prepared me for the conditions in which I witnessed nearly 100,000 people living. In America, we have shelters for our animals that are safer and sturdier than their shacks I saw made of discarded wood pallets and tin with dirt floors and giant rocks heaved on top to hold down the 'roof.'
Too many people in the U.S. still feel occasional hunger pains, but it's nothing compared to the malnutrition I saw in Missionvale. While the healthcare debate rages on in my country, I saw the agony of the walking dead who have never known that there is such a thing called 'healthcare,' let alone have access to it.
But in the midst of such desperation, one woman saw the need and answered the call. In 1988, Sister Ethel Normoyle, an Irish Catholic nun and nurse by trade, stood atop a hill looking into Missionvale and knew she must help. Under the shelter of the only tree in Missionvale, Sister Ethel started tending to the people's wounds and began teaching children the alphabet and how to write.
Understanding those humble beginnings, I was overwhelmed throughout my initial tour of the Care Center she has built. It is simultaneously heartbreaking and hopeful to see nearly 200 children in the K-7 school Sister Ethel built knowing that without her, without this school, they would have no chance at an education. I felt nauseous as I looked at one of only 16 water taps in the community sticking out of the muddy ground and saw kids struggling to maneuver heavy barrels of water they must fetch for their family's drinking, bathing, and laundry. I fought back tears every second in the Care Center's Nutrition Unit as I handed more than 700 people a half loaf of bread and a small scoop of fortified soup powder. I was so conflicted by feeling devastated knowing that this would be their only food for the day and feeling their genuine gratitude every time our eyes met and hands touched as they took the food and said, 'Thank you.'
I've seen pictures, but I've not been able to bring myself to go out into the community with the home care givers that Sister Ethel has trained to provide basic medical attention to those too sick to come see the volunteer doctor at the medical clinic. And I've not been able to control my emotions as tears flow freely while I clap and sing with the people in the interfaith, non-denominational church.
During that first visit, I held Sister Ethel's hands and vowed to be back to do whatever I could to help. Upon repatriating to the U.S. in 2009, my wife and I co-founded Missionvale USA with 100% of all donations going directly to Missionvale Care Center. We focus on fundraising for sustainable programs centered in education, nutrition, healthcare, and shelter.
We visit the Care Center as often as possible ' usually about every 18 months. It's where we feel the greatest version of ourselves as we stand in service of others, trying in our own small way to help heal the world.
Review from #MyGivingStory