Tamale 1st year Novices & team, Ghana

Cape Town 2nd year Novices on Table Mountain

ISC 2nd year Novices with Philip Pinto , Zambia

Stellenbosch 1st year Novices, South Africa

African Province, South Africa

I am writing on behalf of the Brothers of the Africa Province to thank you for your generous response to the appeal made last
year to assist in funding our formation programmes in Africa. In January the CLT sent a letter of thanks. I am following this up
with a letter from Africa.
About $400 000 was pledged by communities around the world. This was a wonderful contribution towards the costs associated with the formation of our young men. This year we have four novitiates in our Province with a total of 43 novices including 4 from Papua New Guinea. Novitiates are located in Ghana, Zambia and South Africa (2).

At around this time the second year novices are returning to their novitiates following a 2 to 3 month ministry /community placement. In some cases novices join existing communities. In other cases they form community themselves, rotating the leadership role. You may be interested to know that currently there are 210 men in the Africa Province with an average age of
40. Additionally there are 36 postulants in three locations:Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Zambia.
As is well known poverty remains a significant feature of African life. Our Mission Statement guides us in our actions as we seek:To be effective agents in the liberation of oppressed and marginalized people from poverty, injustice, ignorance and the
effects of sickness, especially HIV/Aids. To collaborate closely with the poor in the integrated ministries of faith?based education, community development, advocating for the transformation of unjust structures, and in the care of people and the rest of creation.
Recently the Province completed a new Mission Plan. Educating our novices in the spirituality and implications of this plan is a key element of the Formation Programme.

Br Richard Walsh