As I was saying yesterday, on Saturday evening, coming back from ordaining a new bishop in Kokstad we ate something quickly and left for Durban (not far from Mariannhill). Youth from different dioceses gathered in the Cathedral to celebrate 10 years of the "Education for Life" programme.
"The Education for Life program owes its origin in Uganda. In the advent of the HIV/AIDS pandemic much effort was put into awareness campaigns about the disease. A group of doctors were going to schools telling learners about how a lot of people were dying from the disease. It was later realised that information alone about the HIV/AIDS pandemic was not enough to curb the problem. A group of doctors together with religious sisters reflected much about this idea of giving information only. They came to realise something was missing. The "something missing" gave birth to a program called Education for Life. The programme engages participants in a hands-on real life change process"
Sr Hermenegild Makoro, the Secretary General of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference wrote: "Behaviour change is a challenge in all areas of human person's life. A much more challenge to young people who are exposed to all social ills of our society, crime, substance abuse, drugs, rape, unemployment, poor education, etc. This is where you must bring change as young people. Christ came to do the contrary; he came that 'we may have life and have it to the fullest'".
Not many times our youth has the opportunity to meet so many bishops so each one was introduced to them before the final blessing. It was also the time for the coordinators and all youth present to renew their commitment to the project.
Below, a video of the hymn after communion...
