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Meet
Lay Missionary Angela Keane |
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Angela Keane from Cahirciveen, Co. Kerry has been a lay missionary in Peru since September 2006. Angela attributes her interest in missionary work to her education by the missionary minded Presentation Sisters and to friendships with returned missionaries from her native Kerry. |
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Angela’s
preparation for mission was organized by the Viatores
Christi and the Columban Sisters who facilated her
placement in mission. Her first month was spent in Lima in
language school and spending time with the Columban
sisters there. Following this she set sail for the city of
Ayacucho in the Andean mountains met with the Columban sisters in
Vinchos, a neighbouring village. Angela a qualified
intellectual disability nurse, spent seven weeks working
in the special school in the city. Since the children only
receive four hours schooling each day, Angela was free to
spend her afternoons researching how the needs of children
with intellectual disability could be further met. In
December ’06, the clinic “El caminito de la
Esperanza” (The path of hope) was set up in Ayacucho and
offers a service to 60 children with an intellectual
disability, and has two full time nurses and a volunteer
nurse. There are no support services for children or
adults with an intellectual disability in this area. El
caminito provides a number of therapy programmes including
basic physiotherapy stretching and massage, sports, social
and recreational development and integration into the
community. Angela
says. “It is wonderful to watch the children make
progress, hear from the parents of the changes in their
son/daughter and that the children love coming to the
clinic. It’s a joy for me to see them respond to the
therapy programme. Wheelchairs have been provided for
young people who had previously spent their lives lying in
bed or sitting on a cushion on the floor, now they can see
the world from a different light”.
On a more personal note, Angela says “ as an
overseas lay missionary for over a year, I feel I have
already changed as a person. I experience and feel the
real need in
people for help on a daily basis. My relationship with God
has become stronger while my need for material possessions
has lessened.” Angela has the continued support of the
Columban sisters and is very appreciative of this
‘family’ away from home, of whom she feels very much part of.
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To
contact Angela
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