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Lay missionary fell in love with Zambia street kids |
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By The Catholic Spirit
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Wednesday, 07 October 2009 |
 Carol McBrady
Carol McBrady, 50, grew up in Maple Lake, where she attended St. Timothy Church and school. A visit to Zambia in 2001 prompted McBrady to work with the children affected there by the spread of HIV/AIDS. She founded Zambian Children’s Fund and Action for Children — Zambia to support the children and her work in Africa.
What motivated you to become a missionary and how did that come about?
I always loved the idea of working with children in need. . . . My
first trip to Africa was motivated by an article in the newspaper about
the AIDS babies that had been left at the Mother Teresa Home in South
Africa. . . .
I fell in love with the street kids. . . . Their ability to survive
unimaginable horror and still maintain the joy of childhood was a
wonderful thing to see. After my first trip, . . . I spent a great deal
of time in prayer about what I should be doing. I knew God had
given me my answer in October 2003 when I opened the Bible to pray and the first thing I read was Isaiah 54. . . .
I sold my home in Plymouth. This money, along with a small grant from
the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet marked the beginning of Action
for Children — Zambia.
What does a lay person bring to missionary work that is different from a priest or religious?
I have some practical life experiences. . . . I have to understand the
day-to-day finances of running a home as well as just functioning in a
household with day-to-day chores. . . . I have had to make connections
and develop relationships here in Zambia in order to meet the needs of
the children I serve and take care of my own personal development. I
have no spokesperson and no church superiors to watch out for me or
help me out in a jam. There is no covering for me. It’s just me and
God. This has helped my faith to grow in leaps and bounds.
What specific work are you doing?
I am the founder and director of Action for Children — Zambia and house
mother of Salvation Home. . . . I, along with groups of college-aged
volunteers, work with the street kids. . . . I operate Salvation Home,
which is the first residential treatment center in this country. . . .
The main purpose of all our work is to see that a child living in the
streets is restored to the purpose for which God created him.
. . . I count the most important thing I do as that of being “mom” to
over 100 children, some still in the streets, some living with me, some
back in the community with relatives, some at the farm and others
renting their own homes and taking care of themselves.
Carol McBrady and one of the children in Zambia prepare a meal.
Why does this work make a difference — what does it mean to be a missionary in your part of the world?
The average life expectancy for a child when he enters the streets is
just 6 years. Every child that comes to us is a life saved. In
addition, once they are healthy and emotionally stable, they go off to
school, our work program or the farm. We live as a family in the
community. We are changing the way many local people think about their
street kids, and in the years to come, that will make a permanent
change in how Zambia deals with this issue.
During my first trips here, there were about four deaths of street
children per month. We now have about five to eight deaths per year.
Being a missionary in Zambia means that I live completely by faith. . .
. It means I witness horror and callousness to life that would be
considered unbelievable in the USA.
. . . It means I put away all Western standards and expectations and
transform myself into someone who can stand as witness to God’s
miraculous conversions to those that seek my aid.
What is your greatest challenge in being a missionary there?
Too many children, not enough helpers and never enough money.
What is the state of the church in your diocese?
In a country where the life expectancy is just 32 years old, the
congregations are very young. . . . We drum and dance and our choirs
are made up of young people. We are tied to three Catholic
communities. Salvation Home is next to St. Bonaventure Franciscan
Formation Center. The brothers teach our boys catechism and Judo, open
their recreation facilities to our children and transport us in
emergencies. St. Joseph Mukasa church in St. Bonaventure is being built
as an outpost of Christ the Redeemer Church in Makeni. It is made up of
our neighbors who had been worshipping at the college. The boys at the
farm go to the mission outpost through the Chongwe church, made up of a
small group of villagers that worships together.
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