Delegation of Fracarita Netherlands visits Indonesian projects

On Thursday, 25 April Bro. Wout Lips and Hermien Smits-Staals were off to Indonesia to visit the apostolic works of the Brothers of Charity; Bro. Wout as board member of Fracarita Netherlands and Hermien as fundraiser. With their 2014/2015 annual campaign, Fracarita Netherlands focused on renovating the roof of the Deaf Institute in Wonosobo, Java. In 2016/2017, there was an annual campaign for the Psychiatric Centre in Ruteng, Flores. An important goal of the work visit was therefore to see the result of both campaigns with their own eyes and to meet the brothers, students, and patients in person.

In addition to that goal, there was also a broader objective: getting to know all of the apostolic works in Indonesia… and there are a lot of them. In two weeks’ time, they travelled from project to project, across two islands, Java and Flores, in the company of Bro. Martin de Porres (Fracarita International) and Bro. Polikarpus Manao. These were busy, yet very valuable weeks. Nursery schools, primary schools, secondary schools, schools for special education, an institute for the deaf, two rehabilitation centres for psychiatric patients, and a shelter for youths struggling with addiction… one more impressive than the other.

What Bro. Wout and Hermien mainly took away from their visit as they returned home on Wednesday, 9 May was a special appreciation for the considerable amount of good work that the brothers in Indonesia are doing, with such incredible dedication and love. They are there for the poor, deaf, and disabled children where a good education is not readily available to them… for psychiatric patients who were previously hidden in cages behind the house… for young people who want to get their lives back on track after addiction. The Brothers of Charity really make a difference for all these people in Indonesia. Fracarita Netherlands has now seen for itself that fundraising for all these projects is extremely useful; that the money that has gone from the Netherlands to Indonesia in recent years has been very well spent. Fracarita Netherlands, extra inspired and motivated, will continue to show its commitment!

Selamat Tinggal Indonesia. Goodbye, Indonesia

By Hermien Smits-Staals, fundraiser at Fracarita Netherlands