Gospel Hope Centre is still closed ... officially Italy is lifting the strict LOCKDOWN on 4 May - only 55 days since it started !!!
ONE YEAR since we left NZ for Palermo, Sicily
We are humbled, encouraged and blessed that so many of your have partnered with us on our Refugee Mission
We couldn't have done it without your support through prayers, encouragement and finances
SICILY - COVID-19
Thanks to everyone that has sent messages, emailed & phoned over this last 7+ weeks - it has been a huge encouragement during this time of LOCKDOWN - we are nearly at the end of it - some days have zoomed by, others have dragged, but it has been refreshing and we have done lots of reading. listening to messages and replying to emails!! We cant wait to go for a long walk!! other than just to the supermarket 200m away!
We are set to enter Phase 2 on Monday 4th May 2020 - however that looks!
The COVID-19 numbers are horrific for Italy, but for Sicily the early lockdown seems to have been quite successful
Sicily has a population 5 million. Today there are 2,926 cases on the Island and 433 in Palermo which has a population approx. 1 million
Refining our Foodbags ..... again .....
CURRENTLY operating from the office in our apartment. We loaded up two trollies at the supermarket with "essentials" and headed home, unpacked & repackaged ready for delivery.
We are still getting lots of requests for help, the biggest need now is for families to feed their children - newborn to 3 year olds - babies are OK if they dont need need formula - but nappies, milk, fruit & vege jars. Seems very weird shopping for baby food after 20+ years!!!
We pack up the foodbag and send a text when its ready, we can watch from our apartment balcony when the person arrives and we "mask up" head down to the corner to hand over a much appreciated bag of food.
We recently bought a large bag of potatoes and one of onions - this has added another "good staple" for many of the families, so 2 meals a week from rice, 2 from pasta and 2 from potatoes & onions, 3 canned tomatoes & 1 liitre oil, a box of teabags & some biscuits plus the toothpaste, soap ,toothbrush & toilet paper!
Would You Donate for 1 bag of Groceries -€10 = nz$20
please email us for details - graingers5@gmail.com
Our way of "keeping fit" in lockdown ... We live on the 5th floor of the apartment building - so 10 flights of these stairs from the bottom to our apartment Deane started 5 times up & down .... I worked my way to 5 times up & down ...... now Deane is at 10 times - Im not taking up that challenge - 8 times is enough for me!!
INTERESTING ARTICLE
Fears of Mafia Exploitation as Italy opens labor market for Farm Workers.
In a bid to address COVID-19 related labor shortages, Italy has introduced measures for migrants to work in the agricultural sector for the time being. However the TR Foundation fears that this might inadvertently lead to exploitation at the hands of the Mafia.
A director at Italy's largest farming association, says it could become easier "for the mafia to use some people in Italy, like migrants without documents, to make them work (in farms)."
"We are strongly fighting against this type of crime in Italy because it touches all farmers - in the south, in the center and in the north," he said.
He says, Italy's agricultural mafia works as a cartel that sets its own crop prices, manages the transport of goods produced outside the legal framework, controls entire supermarket chains in the country, and is estimated to have an annual turnover of 24.5 billion euros ($26.65 billion).
'Modern-day slavery'
Mafia exploitation of immigrants on farms in Italy is known as "caporalato" — an illegal, but well-established, practice. Under the system, migrants illegally work long hours for wages below the national minimum and are often subjected to violence.
It is estimated that Italy is home to more than 600,000 undocumented migrants, mostly from African countries, who, according to agriculture minister, are particularly susceptible to falling prey to such exploitation. She said that if the state failed to take responsibility for these migrants, organized crime would step in.
The Italian government and various labor rights groups have also issued warnings saying that this form of modern-day slavery is likely to rise as the coronavirus lockdown has resulted in a chronic labor shortage.
Testimony of Hadim Touray from Gambia
I was born in Gambia, West Africa born on the 14th October 1992. I was brought up in Gambia and was born into a muslim family. I lived with my mother only until I was 9 years old, my parents were never married and my father never stayed with us. I am an only child.
When I was 9 years old my mother passed away from a heart attack - she was 45 years old. I went to live with my grandmother in the same village. After that i was suffering because I had no help from anyone, my grandmother was old. I go to only primary school up to grade 9. I had no-one to help pay school fees so I had to finish at school - that was when I was age 19 years.
At 19 years I was living on the street, my grandmother could not afford to pay for me to live. I went some place so I could learn some skills but that did not work out. I went to a man in Gambia, who was a relative of mine, he said he could help with this idea of going to Europe. I wanted to try this idea for Europe - he told me if i could get to Mali he would give me contact with a man that could help me get to Burkino Faso. This man helped me with some little money, I went to Senegal after passing through Mali. When I reached the man in Mali that my relative told me about he helped me to get to Burkino Faso, he talked with a driver and he took me from Mali to Burkino Faso on the back of his ute.
I reached Burkino Fuso and stayed for 1 month, again I live on the streets every night I would go to the garage and sleep, I would have to wake up at 4am to get out of the garage before owner arrived for work. I found work at a garage and helped with parking cars so that I could have little money, if I have money I could put it together for the trip to go to Niger.
When I arrived in capital of Niger I stayed for 1 month 2 weeks, I had a man help me he helped me to go to Agadez, I was working with one tuareg man, he was an arab, after i worked with him for 2 months he , the agreement was work for no money but he would pay to get me to Libya. I go to Libya, across the Sahara desert, 11 days before I reached Tripoli in Libya. I got to libya i was living with the migrant people in a compound, I lived there for one month, the traffickers came with machine guns, they harm people searching for money, hitting people over the head & they kidnapped me & locked me up - thankfully I only stayed 24 hours, a man helped break the lock and we break the door - we got out.
When we escaped we hid in the bush until, when I was inside the bush I found one old libyian man, he worked at the forest he had so many animals sheep and cows, after i found that old man, this guy saw me and i was running, he called me, when he called me i was afraid to go, i thought he would cut me but he turned out to be a good old man, he helped me. I stayed at his home for many many days, he was a farmer in Garabulli, I did some work with him in the bush to help him with the sheep and cows, we washed the sheep. After 3 weeks he is the guy that helped me get on the boat to Italy
I had 2 days on the boat from Tripoli to Sicily. I was rescued from the mediterranean sea by a boat from Singapore. After that i got taken to Palermo, from Palermo to San Guiesppe where I lived in a camp for 1 year 5 months, I dont see no future, I dont do anything , I stay only in camp all this time.
I look at my life and say let me move to Germany. When I was in Germany and i was living in camp for 2 years. After that I was working with one company in Germany, Khi was the manufacturing company. One of my friends, the boss of that company he introduced me to Ruth and her family. Ruth talked to me about christianity and i told her i was born into a muslim family but I did not practice Islam. I went to church with Ruth and started reading the Bible, studying the bible, time to time I would go together with Ruth to church and I started to look at myself, my life and reading the bible God showed me how I should live and I learned about following Jesus Christ and having a personal relationship. After many discussions with the Pastor, a Nigerian pastor and Ruth I decided I needed Jesus in my life.
Now that I know Jesus in my life, I am happy and in my life now I want to share Jesus with people, I want to read and learn more about God from the bible. I am very interested in learning from Gods word. I am now living back in Palermo Sicily and I have the opportunity to work at Gospel Hope Centre for refugees. I am being discipled weekly and doing bible studies in Gods word, so I am learning more about what my life should be like and how to talk to others and share the gospel of Jesus with them
