My beloved brethren,
With feelings of sincere gratitude and deep emotion I would like to thank you for the donation of the amount of € 5,000 to my humble Diocese in support of the operation of our medical clinic in our missionary center in Kidamali, Iringa. It is an undeniable fact that without your moral as well as material support in my first steps in my Diocese, it would be impossible to move forward, due to urgent needs and insurmountable difficulties.
In this beautiful but extremely poor corner of the earth, in every step we take we encounter human pain. The people, poverty-stricken but happy, always with a smile on their faces, live in simplicity the hardness of their daily routine, being totally deprived of the most basic necessities, but always calling upon God and worshipping Him. It is a marvel to experience a Divine Liturgy in Africa. How much attention and devotion they all show, even small children, in chanting and in partaking of the Holy Communion!
At a height of 1500 meters, on the huge Rift Valley plateau, lies the area of Iringa, which is generally assumed to be the poorest and toughest area of Tanzania. For six to eight months every year it is plagued by extreme drought, with the winds blowing through the bare trees and drying up the already arid scenery.
In this tough area, there is a great need for providing health care to our brothers. Our fellow-humans there are suffering from hunger, malaria, typhoid and many other diseases. As a result, the number of orphaned children is growing every day.
With our humble abilities and with timid steps, we began operating the medical clinic in our missionary center in Kidamali, Iringa, which was rebuilt thanks to the donation of Theodoros and Melpomeni Geraki’s family from Thessaloniki and to which crowds of ailing people arrive on foot from the surrounding areas. It is evident that it must be organized in the form of a polyclinic, with a variety of specialties, due to the large number of illnesses and the rudimentary state health care. The current cost of running our Clinic for doctors’ salaries and free medicine amounts to € 2,000 per month. Despite the difficulties, we got started with the hand on the heart and in the hope of your loving contribution!
Dear brothers in Christ, please pray that the Word of the Gospel will be spread with good words and acts of true love, and that the bells of Orthodoxy will ring in every corner of Africa. Amen.
† Agathonikos of Arusha
