Fr. Michael O’Sullivan SAC
Pallottine
Arusha, Tanzania
Fr.
Michael O’Sullivan SAC , Pallottine, works with
the Esso Community Development Project (ECDP )
in Arusha, Tanzania.
The Esso Community Development Programme (ECDP)
is designed to address the basic needs of the
community and to alleviate poverty by
strengthening community capacity to respond to
poverty and HIV/AIDs.
Pallotti is a new parish, set up in 2006 by the
Pallottine Fathers and centred on the existing
church. The parish is located just outside the
city centre of Arusha and is one of the
fastest-growing areas of the municipality. The
area consists mostly of unplanned, high-density,
low-income dwellings.
Many inhabitants are fairly recent migrants from
various parts of northern Tanzania. Poverty and
lack of services and infrastructure are major
issues for the community. The prevalence rate of
HIV/AIDs in Arusha is higher than the national
average for Tanzania.
The project goal was to address basic needs and
rights and to alleviate poverty and promote
sustainable human development, based on the
initiative and ownership of the local community.
In 2007, the project set out to construct a
training centre to:
- Provide HIV/AIDs education and life skills training for young people.
- Provide Adult Education with a focus on HIV/AIDs and gender and human rights.
- Establish a counseling service and training of individuals and families living with HIV/AIDs.
- Set up a Kindergarten for children aged 3-6 years.
One of the most significant successes of this project has been
the co-operation of the parish team in the pre-planning, preparation
and implementation of the building work from its earliest stages,
right up to the present time. Although the building has still to be
completed, the needs of the community here in Esso are so great that
the building has already been utilized for a Behaviour Change
Programme for over a hundred young people, for the parish choirs and
musicians who now practice there, and for various local and parish
community meetings.
As Pallottine Missionaries, one of the invaluable contributions we
make is the experience we have gained from a presence here in East
Africa for over 65 years. In addition, our direct personal contact
with the local people through our pastoral work offers us a unique
insight into the needs and difficulties of the people here, and this
knowledge gained has helped us to devise a programme to tackle these
challenges.