Who we are … What we do … A quick overview:
Winnie Maneli & friend serving tea to Revs. Stu Cameron & Scott Planting in April, 2002
We are engaged in a relationship that addresses the alleviation of the legacies of apartheid – hunger, poverty & disease – through self-empowerment, respectful dialogue, and sustainable projects. What started in 2000 as a sister-church relationship with the Macfarlan Presbyterian Church has grown and expanded to provide community-wide programs in the Tyhume Valley where Macfarlan is located. Apartheid ended in 1994, and it was in 1999 that the former black and white churches came together to create the “Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa.” Members of the Presbytery of Northern New England [PNNE] were there to celebrate the new union. A year later, a partnership with the Macfarlan Church in the Tyhume Valley was formed with MATE.
Our PARTNERSHIP…
… is exemplified in this picture: Winnie Maneli serving afternoon tea at a church roofing project in the Dyamala village in 2002. During a 2-week visit there, MATE helped add the roof trusses to the new outstation church started by Winnie and her late husband.
Our PARTNERSHIP…
… is exemplified in this picture: Winnie Maneli serving afternoon tea at a church roofing project in the Dyamala village in 2002. During a 2-week visit there, MATE helped add the roof trusses to the new outstation church started by Winnie and her late husband.
THE TYHUME VALLEY –
… a semi-arid region nestled within the Amatola Mountains of the Eastern Cape Province. It is about 100 km inland from the Indian Ocean coastal town of East London. The Tyhume River runs through many of the villages during the rainy season – it trickles through them the rest of the year.
The people are of the Xhosa clan, and while many speak English, the Xhosa language is predominantly used. The Presbyterian Church in this area dates back to 1827, when missionaries from Scotland founded a mission church in nearby Alice.
CURRENT AGRICULTURAL PROJECT:
The Home Gardens project has grown from the initial training of 17 families in 4 villages in February 2007, to 283 families in 7 villages.
Most of the family gardens are maintained by elderly grannies, many of whom are not only caring for themselves, but also for their AIDS-orphaned grandchildren and other family members afflicted with AIDS.
The people are of the Xhosa clan, and while many speak English, the Xhosa language is predominantly used. The Presbyterian Church in this area dates back to 1827, when missionaries from Scotland founded a mission church in nearby Alice.
CURRENT AGRICULTURAL PROJECT:
The Home Gardens project has grown from the initial training of 17 families in 4 villages in February 2007, to 283 families in 7 villages.
Most of the family gardens are maintained by elderly grannies, many of whom are not only caring for themselves, but also for their AIDS-orphaned grandchildren and other family members afflicted with AIDS.
Health Project:
We are in transition – for the past 4 years, we provided financial support to the work of Dr. Norma van Niekerk. She provided free antiretroviral [ARVT] drugs to the people in the valley. Many are orphans of AIDS parents – and many orphans also are carrying the HIV or have AIDS.
This is Dr. Norma with her staff – Counselor Khulu on her right and nurse [Sister] Bukelwe to her left, and members of her peer volunteer group who help with new patient orientation.
With the U.S. Government’s President’s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief [PEPFAR] coming to an end in South Africa, the South Africa Government Health Department is slowly ramping up to address this crisis. The funding from PEPFAR made it possible for Dr. Norma to acquire the ARVT drugs, plus help to pay for the counseling and patient support that was also provided by her staff. By the end of January 2012, this will come to an end. Our support to fight the impact of AIDS will be focused on the families in need of assistance to develop their home gardens to obtain proper nutrition for the AIDS patients in the family.
This is Dr. Norma with her staff – Counselor Khulu on her right and nurse [Sister] Bukelwe to her left, and members of her peer volunteer group who help with new patient orientation.
With the U.S. Government’s President’s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief [PEPFAR] coming to an end in South Africa, the South Africa Government Health Department is slowly ramping up to address this crisis. The funding from PEPFAR made it possible for Dr. Norma to acquire the ARVT drugs, plus help to pay for the counseling and patient support that was also provided by her staff. By the end of January 2012, this will come to an end. Our support to fight the impact of AIDS will be focused on the families in need of assistance to develop their home gardens to obtain proper nutrition for the AIDS patients in the family.
Visits to Macfarlan & the Tyhume Valley:
MATE has sent a delegation in 2002, ’03, ’05, ’06, ’08 & ’10, and in 2004 we brought 4 adults to Maine for 3 weeks. Many church dinners, plus rummage & bake sales helped raise travel funds – plus personal funds and help from family & friends. MATE does not use donations to cover personal travel expenditures. Donations are used 100% for the in-country projects.
NEXT TRIP TO THE TYHUME VALLEY -- TARGETING AUGUST 9-23, 2012
Would you like to join us? One does not have to be a member of a MATE church to join the partnership, and we are opening this trip to anyone who supports our mission. You can contact Ed Jesteadt by clicking on my name, or as shown below.
Mission at the Eastward {MATE}
Phone: 207-778-4705
Web: www.missionattheeastward.org
Email: mate@beeline-online.net
This page is a "work in progress" - and will be changing and adding more information over the next few weeks and months.
To return to the MATE website, click here. To return to the top of this page, click here.
NEXT TRIP TO THE TYHUME VALLEY -- TARGETING AUGUST 9-23, 2012
Would you like to join us? One does not have to be a member of a MATE church to join the partnership, and we are opening this trip to anyone who supports our mission. You can contact Ed Jesteadt by clicking on my name, or as shown below.
Mission at the Eastward {MATE}
Phone: 207-778-4705
Web: www.missionattheeastward.org
Email: mate@beeline-online.net
This page is a "work in progress" - and will be changing and adding more information over the next few weeks and months.
To return to the MATE website, click here. To return to the top of this page, click here.
