South Africa
In 2004, in collaboration with Bishop Hugh Slattery, the Congregation decided to send four Sisters to the Diocese of Tzaneen in South Africa to respond to the crying needs caused by the HIV/AIDS pandemic there. It is estimated that 6 million people in South Africa are HIV positive.
The daily lives of a significant number of families in the parishes where the Sisters work are affected by HIV/ AIDS. Many of the people who have contracted the disease lack basic nutrition and the necessary medication essential to give them a reasonable quality of life. In some families both parents have died leaving the children orphaned or in the care of an already overworked grandparent.
The Sisters work in partnership with local organisations and support volunteers and carers in the areas of health education, pastoral care and development.
"We collaborate with others and take risks in creating and sustaining a just world where all people may experience the loving face of God."
General Chapter 2001