OLSH youth ministry deep in the Amazon region of Brazil

The Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart are hard at work in São Gabriel da Cachoeira, an extremely remote area of the Amazon region in Brazil. Their work here is challenging, not least because of the inaccessible location, but is essential in serving rural communities who would otherwise be highly isolated. 

This year, the Sisters are asking for our help in raising approximately €20,000 to buy a vehicle suited to the difficult Amazonian terrain and harsh conditions.

“This project aims to provide the sisters with reliable transportation to reach the parish communities,” Sr Renisa Augusta da Fonseca writes. “The vehicle would help Sisters with their social workwith disabled children, migrants and young indigenous people in this vast and under-served region.”

“The community of São Gabriel da Cachoeira is situated in one of the most isolated and challenging areas of Brazil, deep in the Amazon region,” Sr Renisa explains. “The Sisters’ mission there involves pastoral work in the parish and surrounding villages, catechetical formation for children, youth, and adults, visiting families and offering accompaniment to the sick and elderly, community support programs, and cultural dialogue among diverse indigenous groups. Currently, the Sisters do not have adequate transportation, which limits their ability to serve these scattered communities effectively.” 

The purchase of the vehicle would greatly benefit the Sisters in their work with several groups, including local families and communities, indigenous families who need additional support, disabled children, and migrant families. It would allow the Sisters to travel safely and efficiently around the region, transporting essential items for education and pastoral and social aid, and would improve their ability to respond to urgent or emergency situations in remote spots. It would also encourage the “enhanced missionary presence of the Sisters, fostering hope, faith, and solidarity in the area”, says Sr Renisa. 

Working with nature at the OLSH Mission Garden in Nzhelele, South Africa

At the Nzhelele mission in South Africa, the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart care for more than 130 orphans and vulnerable children by providing essential items such as food, shelter, clothing, school supplies and financial support, youth activities in drop-in centres, classes and workshops for children and their carers, regular care visits to the children’s homes, and working gardens to address food shortages and promote nutrition and healthy eating. 

This year, Sr Rotee Uriam, director of the Nzhelele project, is asking for our help in funding the repair and refurbishment of their dedicated mission garden. Located in the grounds of the convent, the garden was originally established by an Irish OLSH Sister, Sr Mairead. For many years, the garden has provided food for the children in the care of the Sisters, and offers employment to several local people who would otherwise find it very difficult to find work in what is a very remote area. 

“The garden is a great teaching tool for the children to learn good agricultural practices and healthy eating practices,” writes Sr Rotee. “It has been in existence for many years – however, it now needs many repairs and updating.” 

The OLSH Sisters in Nzhelele are working to raise a total of €15,000 to complete the repairs to the garden, and continue with this wonderful resource for the provision of nutritious food, local employment, and life skills. This will include repairs to fences and pipes, and the provision of water tanks and watering apparatus for the garden. “With a grateful heart, we thank you for all you are doing to help,” Sr Rotee says.