The Mothers’ Union branch at Holy Saviour’s was opened in 1931 and currently has 43 members. The members meet twice a month on the 1st Monday and 3rd Thursday at 2pm, but we do have several evening meetings a year to cater for the younger members who work. Our meetings always begin with a short service of worship taken by the members. The aim of the Mothers’ Union is the advancement of the Christian religion in the sphere of marriage and family life, and the M.U. is active in supporting family life in many ways. Our branch are involved in the organisation of the monthly Pram Service in church on the 2nd Monday at 2.30pm which is enjoyed by parents and grandparents as well as children from birth until nursery school age.
Members: 140,000 in this country, one million worldwide, with a particularly strong presence in Africa.
Who they actually are: Active, committed Christians, often highly radical. In Uganda they were the only organisation to defy Amin and survive. The Mothers Union insisted on meeting and even walked through Kampala saying that if Amin chose to shoot them he would be shooting the mothers of the nation. In this country they are more likely to be found running prison creches or campaigning for debt relief for the developing world than handing round teacups at the vicarage.
JUNE
Thursday 3 – 7.30pm
Holy Communion for Corpus Christi, followed by Wave of Prayer. Coffee in the Parish Centre
Monday 7 – 2pm
Service followed by a talk by Georgie Cruddas from 80 80 30 a domestic charity for women ‘Relationships Not Rules’
Monday 14 – 2pm
Pram Service
Thursday 17 – 2pm
Service followed by a talk by Revd Geoff Short OBE ‘Building Charity Relationships in the Philippines’
Thursday 24 – 7pm
Deanery Festival at St Paul’s, WhitleyBay
JULY
Monday 5 – 2pm
Service followed by the Revd Sid Connolly ‘Your Word in a Lantern’
Monday 12 – 2pm
Pram Service
Thursday 15 – 2-4pm
Garden Party with raffle, stalls and teas
Where the money goes…..
Working in The Province of Central Africa
(Includes Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe)
Spanning four countries, the Province of Central Africa is a diverse and interesting region. There are many Mothers' Union members, and many projects reaching out in the community to show care for families.
Literacy
Since Mothers' Union Literacy Development Programme (MULDP) began in Malawi it has grown from strength to strength and now operates in remote rural villages, lakeside communities and inner city slums. In each place the need is the same, women in desperate need of literacy skills because of their marginalised status in society that prevented many of them from going to school.
The programme is now operating in all four dioceses in Malawi after the programme expanded into Lake Malawi, Southern Malawi and Upper Shire in 2004. Originally it was only piloted in Northern Malawi in 2000.
One of the key methods of introducing literacy into a community is the use of discussion. Each session is started with the facilitator asking everyone in the circle to decide what they want to discuss.
Discussion is a tool used to get everyone joining in and participating, sharing their ideas, knowledge and experience. The use of discussion is important because it really develops and helps build the confidence of the learners. Literacy circles are a
good way for learners to voice their opinions in a safe environment. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and although not everyone agrees it is the process of being able to discuss that is key. For the majority it is the first time that they are able to get their thoughts heard. In many African societies women are not allowed to speak in public and anything they might want to say has to be voiced through the husband or other male relative.
Although the learners may not have had an education they still have a valuable wealth of knowledge and experience. Attitudes towards them are changing because of the programme. Women now use their newfound skills and confidence to work together to improve the conditions of their daily lives.
"We are learning many things from this circle. We know how to read and write, we know how to care for our health. This circle has bought development into our area of Embangweni." Patilisher Banda, NorthernMalawi.
The MULDP has accredited over 1000 learners literate and numerate and many more will be joining them as the programme expands into new areas in Malawi.
Learners in Mazinga are discussing local diseases prevalent among them and their families. They have identified those linked to lack of sanitation and are planning to build latrines in the village. They are also looking at reproductive health issues and the importance of spacing children for the health benefits of both mother and children.
They have learnt about and discussed different methods of family spacing available from the health clinic and the cultural and social implications. Other groups have improved the profit on their fish selling business, now they can calculate costs and profits.
Other Projects
In Malawi, local projects take the form of a tuck-shop and a small local bakery, which is situated at the Mothers' Union headquarters. Mothers' Union members are employed in both projects, therefore creating employment alongside raising funds. This year 33 fruit tree seedlings - including oranges, tangerines, mangoes, peaches, guavas and avocado pearls - have been planted by members in a small plot of land donated by the diocese. There are plans to plant more if more funds become available.
The diocese also runs 'Orphan Care' projects where orphans and the aged are cared for in their own homes. The orphans are sometimes taken to church where they are given food and other basic needs are provided such as bedding, clothing and soap. Members are also paying schools fees for an orphaned local boy.
