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3rd September 2016:

Went to St John of God Community to collect our extended family from Mzuzu.
At the back of the picture is Br Aidan Clohessy, a unique and amazing man who went to Malawi after his retirement and set up what can only be described as a First World, Mental Health Services from scratch.
Eleven years ago he took us in, gave us a place to call home, minded us and enabled us to do what we are doing. Without his guidance and assistance we could have achieved nothing. His thoughtful and analytical experience of development got us through problem after problem.


Not only does it have every facility for the treatment of Mental Health problems, but it has a college of Natural Sciences offering degrees in Nursing, Counselling and also training Clinicians.
In education they have a preschool, primary school, secondary school for special needs children, then add a primary school for street children, with the end result of reintegrating them in families and communities and then back to regular schools.
There is also vocational training in things like bricklaying, carpentry, computers, catering, sowing/dressmaking, and God only knows what else.
The front of the pic has Mary with her boys We have been with then since they arrived as candidate for the brotherhood and we are so happy to have them in Ireland for the first time.
 
Ephram on the left just graduated as a physiotherapist in Zambia and works in the services. After next week he goes to Rome for 4 weeks and then on to Granada. He is preparing to make his final vows to be professed as a Brother. He will be the first Malawian Brother in the order. 
Andrew on the right has just graduated in International Development, in Nairobi, works in the services and will be professed later next year
 
Just a little about the founder of the Order:
 
   
St John of God, as people called him (born March 8, 1495, Montemor-o-Novo, Port.—died March 8, 1550, Granada, Spain; canonized 1690; feast day March 8) founder of the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God (Brothers Hospitallers), a Roman Catholic religious order of nursing brothers. In 1886 Pope Leo XIII declared him patron of hospitals and the sick.