Irish missionary nun receives Presidential Award in Zambia

Sr Mary with President Hichilema

Irish missionary nun, Sr Mary Courtney of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters for Africa, has been awarded the President's Insignia for Meritorious Achievement from President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia. She is one of a number of Irish sisters whose work has been recognised recently by states in Africa and South America as well as in Ireland.

Sr Mary is a native of Lavey parish, New Inn, Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan. She entered the FMSA Novitiate in Boston in 1964 and made her first profession of vows in 1967 and subsequently her final vows in May 1972. She then proceeded to the Mater Hospital in Belfast to do her registered nursing training and then to the Coombe Hospital in Dublin for her midwifery training.

Her missionary work has taken her to three countries in Africa - Uganda, Ethiopia and Zambia. Out of her 50 years of religious profession, she spent 38 years in Africa of which 23 of these were in Zambia. She is currently working as a nurse midwife with community volunteers providing quality care to people living with HIV and AIDS, cancer, mentally challenged, physically disabled and orphans.

When Sr Mary arrived in Zambia in 1994 the HIV pandemic was at its height. She witnessed eight to ten people dying every day from AIDS. Nowadays, the situation has improved with the advent of (ARVs) Anti-retroviral drugs. The clients are showing a remarkable improvement in health provided that they adhere to their ARV's. The mortality rate has reduced to two or three per day.

There is still a great need to support clients on ARVs so that they continue treatment and attend clinic for regular follow-ups. This is where the Buddy System helps the clients to adhere to treatment. Due to self-stigma some clients suffer from adherence fatigue and discontinue treatment. Ongoing counselling is being provided to help them accept their positive status so that they recommit themselves to adherence support and treatment.

The Franciscan Missionary Sisters for Africa established St Francis Community Integrated Care Programme in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and the Catholic Diocese of Livingstone in 1993.

The prestigious award recognises Sr Mary's decades of dedicated missionary work in Livingstone, Zambia, where she has made a significant impact on the lives of the poor and vulnerable in the community. She is known for her pioneering efforts to improve health outcomes for marginalised people by establishing health centres, counselling services, palliative and home-based care, and behaviour change programmes in response to HIV and AIDS. She has also established programmes that empower patients and their families to become self-reliant through sustainable farming and by participating in community savings and loans groups.

The award was presented at the State House in Lusaka where Sr Mary humbly accepted it on behalf of the FMSA acknowledging the hard work of her staff and volunteers. Sr Loice Kashangura, Assistant Regional of the FMSA in Zambia, who accompanied Sr Mary to the ceremony, remarked: "We are proud of Sr Mary and we emulate her good example as we continue to serve many vulnerable people in Zambia and other countries, wherever FMSA minister."

Sr Loice was a key speaker at the 'Mission Today & Tomorrow Conference' that I helped to organise in All Hallows College, Dublin in 2013. She also wrote an article for my book - 'The Legacy of Irish Missionaries Lives On' - available from www.buythebook.ie.

Sr Mary is most grateful to her benefactors for their support in prayer and finance. "My work for the marginalised could not be possible without them" she says. Readers wishing to support her wonderful work can do so at: www.fmsa.net/.

Matt Moran is a Cork-based author who has written extensively on missionary development work in the Global South.