Other people don’t need only what we have, but what we are – Edith Stein
Fr. Mario Pacifici, founding trustee of Andiamo Youth Cooperative Trust
Fr. Mario Pacifici, founding trustee of Andiamo Youth Cooperative Trust (AYCT) clocked 36 years in priesthood yesterday, 31 October 2012. He was ordained priest on 31 October 1976.
36 years is a long period! It would not be easy to chronicle in detail everything that Fr. Mario has achieved in these years. Maybe that is not what he would want anybody to do now. However, let us try to summarise his mission to Malawi in four pillars: education, healthcare, social development, and sports and culture. These are also the pillars that AYCT are built on.
Frs. Mario Pacifici and Santino Trussardi at one of the out stations of St. Louis Montfort Parish in the early years of their mission
Just two years in priesthood, Fr. Mario together with some young people from St. Louis Montfort Parish in Balaka, Malawi, he started what we call Alleluya band today. Starting a music band cannot be an achievement only if one does not look at what Fr. Mario achieved and continues to achieve with this band to help him in his mission to Africa and Malawi in particular.
Having stayed with the Alleluya band members for only six years, Fr Mario with the help of other Montfort fathers noticed that the band was incomplete if the members lacked some basic needs. This is why in 1984 he initiated Andiamo Family Development Project, which he later called Andiamo Youth Cooperative Trust (AYCT) with a general objective “to operate exclusively for charitable, educational, public health and literary purposes”.
Some of the specific objectives of AYCT are: to empower the Malawian community socially, morally and economically; to establish and operate charities committed to the social welfare, community empowerment through public health, income generation and technical skills development in rural communities throughout Malawi; to provide material, technical and logistical services and support to the relevant government authorities in the delivery of adequate and affordable educational and public health services to remote villages in Malawi; and many more.
Education
Andiamo Secondary School
Under education, AYCT has a department called Andiamo Education Institutions (AEI), which is an umbrella body of Tiyende Women in Development, Andiamo Technical College, Andiamo Technological Pole, Andiamo Music School, Andiamo Secondary School and four kindergarten schools.
Health
Under this pillar, AYCT built Comfort Clinics, which will shortly be called Comfort Community Hospital. Comfort Clinics opened its doors on 21 May 1997. Comfort Clinics has four functional departments namely: Out Patient Department (OPD); Dental Department; the Maternity Department; and the Paediatric Department.
Out Patient Department
This department covers the whole district of Balaka and it still treats other patients from the surrounding districts. The average number of patients visiting the facility is around 2,500 a month. This translates to almost 30,000 a year.
Dental Department
This department treats patients from Balaka and some patient’s come as far as Blantyre, Lilongwe, Salima, Dedza and Zomba. The average number of patients visiting the facility is 400 a month and 5000, a year.
Maternity Department
Maternity ward
This is perhaps one of the busiest departments of Comfort Clinics. AYCT built Comfort maternity wing in 2008 with the aim of reducing maternal deaths for expecting mothers. The idea of having this wing came about after noticing that many women were dying during and after giving birth through Tradition Birth Attendants in the villages, a thing which was putting lives of women and the unborn children at risk. Due to the congestion at paediatric ward at Balaka district hospital, Comfort Clinics management decided to use two of its rooms as paediatric ward before a special ward was built in 2011. The department has state of art facilities and it has helped many women from both the surrounding areas and neighbouring districts. Since it was opened, it has treated its patients free of charge. As of last year 2011, the department admitted 1000 patients.
Paediatric Ward
Incubator of the Paediatric Ward
This was built in 2011 after seeing the congestion at Balaka District Hospital. The ward has a capacity of 18 beds and as of now it is fully furnished and functional. This is also treating secondary students who are below 14 years.
Male and Female Wards
Female and Male Wards
In April 2012 AYCT also finished building both the male and female wards which will be in use any time AYCT is given an approval from the relevant authorities, which have a capacity of 36 beds. Both wards are furnished. Both paediatric and community hospital have been built with financial support from Project Malawi.
Social Development
Through Social Development, pillar AYCT under the guidance of its founding trustee has the following sectional establishments: Building Section; Carpentry and Joinery Workshop; Concrete Products; Electrical Services workshop; Plumbing Workshop; Cobbler Workshop; Motor Vehicle Mechanical Workshop; Panel Beating Workshop; Metal Fabrication Workshop; Ice Cream Centre; Hair Dressing Saloon; Maize Mill; and agriculture section that has a maize field that when harvested, the schools benefit through consumption. It practices Animal husbandry. AYCT also rears cattle.
Culture and Sports
Alleluya Band
Alleluya band
Under culture and sports, the AYCT has what Fr. Mario started with, that is Alleluya band that aims to conserve culture through Gospel music that is fused with African and Malawian traditional rhythm.
With a motto, “Sing Life with Joy” the band’s mission has been to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through music in Malawi and beyond borders. True to its motto, the band has performed in some African countries and other European countries.
On World Youth Days (WYD) alone, the band has performed before in Cologne, Germany; Sydney, Australia; Madrid, Spain in 2005, 2008 and 2011 respectively.
In the year 2000 the band also performed in Italy. In August, it was in Rome celebrating Jubilee 2000 and in November, the band performed at the Jubilee of Politicians in Vatican.
Andiamo Bullets
AYCT came up with the idea of keeping the youth busy after they come out of school and during holidays so that they refrain from immoral behaviour. Groups were formed according to activities such as drama, poetry, indoor and outdoor games, societies for charitable works such as taking care of the elderly and the sick, planting of trees where necessary etc.
After seeing the success of these activities, especially with soccer, AYCT thought of uplifting them through the introduction of the Andiamo Bullets. Through its committee of 18 members that deals with the day-to-day affairs of the team, Andiamo Bullets has about 30 players of which 90% are from outside the Andiamo campus and most of them are still studying in various secondary schools around Balaka.
36 years plus
As Fr. Mario continues to walk the journey of his mission, mainly concentrating on the four pillars of AYCT, it is clear that he is not alone in this journey. There are people both within and outside the country that share his dream. We wish him good health. Auguri!
By Web Office