Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Rome (Fides Service) –Fogo, Island, Cape Verde will soon have a new Centre for Health Care and Social assistance thanks to the Capuchin Friars Foreign Missions Centre, the Missionary Association Solidarity and Development, and the Medical Solidarity Group. The health Centre, on which building started in 1998, is an idea of Father Ottavio Fasano who recently visited the site. Father Fasano kindly agreed to tells Fides Service over the phone something about his ‘brain-child’.
The St Francis Health and Social Centre, on Fogo Island (population 35,000), stands on an area of 20,000 sq. mt. It is being built by a local builder as well as about 100 volunteers. The Centre began to function in November 2002 when the dispensary and laboratories were opened and will become fully active in January 2004 when the operating theatres are inaugurated.
The project has been realised with the Institute of the Franciscan Sisters of Cape Verde founded by an Italian missionary the late Friar Pio Gottin who died in 2000. The Centre will have three resident doctors, (surgeon, dentist and anaesthetist), assisted by a radiologist, a laboratory technician, two instrumental nurses, 6 trained nurses and 6 auxiliaries. The staff will coordinate voluntary specialists with whom they will work closely. Volunteer specialists will make monthly visits to the island. Health care and social attention will be offered to all, but in particular to the poorest people.
Cape Verde consists of ten large and five small islands with a total area of 4,030 sq km. There are only two hospitals, one in the capital Praia on the island of Santiago and the other at Mindelo on S. Vincent Island. The other islands have small dispensaries but they lack operating theatres and specialist care. Brava Island, home to 6000 people, has a small medical centre run by one doctor and a nurse.
Seeing that Cape Verde lacks people professional trained in medicine and nursing, besides offering medical care, Father Fasano has also thought of offering training. He is arranging a professional training course in Italy for three students from Cape Verde who will then return to work at national hospitals. AP (Fides Service 7/10/2003 EM lines 33 Words: 394)
THE COUNTRY
The Republic of Cape Verde is an archipelago situated in the Atlantic Ocean 500 km from the coast of Senegal and it consists of 10 volcanic islands of which 9 are inhabited. The population, 500,000 is distributed over the islands.
The Islands were discovered in 1460 by explorers Diego Gomes from Portugal and Antonio da Noli from Genoa, both at the service of the king of Portugal. Following discovery the islands saw the arrival of all manner of people, settlers from Italy, Portugal and Spain, slaves from Africa, civil and political prisoners, Jews fleeing the Inquisition. In 1975 Cape Verde obtained independence from Portugal and was governed for more than decade by PAICV Marxist party.
In 1991 the Movement for Democracy took power and Cape Verde became a democracy.
Because of widespread poverty caused by endemic drought and lack of work islanders have always emigrated. It is estimated that at least 700,000 Cape Verde citizens live outside their country, many in the United States.
Today Cape Verde produces a mere 8% of the needs of its people, the rest is covered by money sent home by emigrants and by international aid.
Cape Verde lack prime materials and suffers from process of desert spreading, similar to the Sahel region of mainland Africa.
Fishing was hitherto the main source of income, but tourism is opening new paths for development, although lack of infrastructures and constant drought are still a problem.
CAPUCHIN FRIARS CENTRE FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS
The Capuchin Friars Centre for Foreign Missions, which belongs to the Regular Province of Capuchin Friars, is the office which follows and co-ordinates missionary activity in Cape Verde as well as animating missionary impulse in Piedmont and elsewhere in Italy.
Piedmont Capuchin Friars have been in Cape Verde since 1947 and during the years they have undertaken a series of social and pastoral initiatives including: 700 homes for the poor; carpentry schools; 800 rain-water cisterns; Radio Nova 24 hours broadcasting all over the country; Terra Nova magazine; 25 children’s homes; courses in tourism-hotel management; collaboration with S. Felipe town (Fogo) for the realisation of micro-projects and most recently the St Francis Social, Health Centre and Hospital.
The Foreign Missions Centre with two offices Fossan and Turin, supported the realisation of various initiatives by organising a network of volunteers and benefactors thanks to whom these projects are achieved. (Fides Service 7/10/2003 EM lines 34 Words: 403)
