An Interview with Sister Sally Duigan OLSH (From South Australia to South Africa).
Sister Sally Duigan, who belongs to the Congregation of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, is director of Holy Family Care Centre in Limpopo, South Africa. They provide residential care for orphans and vulnerable children.
Where do you live?
I live in a remote part of Limpopo, South Africa at Holy Family Care Centre, Ofcolaco at the foot of the Drakensburg mountains. Here our community of Sisters, volunteers and local staff care for 82 children – many of them with chronic illnesses such as HIV/Aids, TB and other conditions. The children are mostly orphaned and all are vulnerable. We work closely with the Department of Social Development.
What’s the feeling like there at the moment?
President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation a couple of weeks ago and from 1st June we moved from Stage 4 to Stage 3 Lockdown so things will begin to open up a little bit more. We are taking the advice we receive from the Government very seriously. We have been in lockdown now for over 10 weeks and an amazing and unexpected consequence for us is that the children are all healthy for now. People in the nearby villages are afraid to go out. There is a lot of fear because of the predictions that the infection rates will increase rapidly over the next few months. Images of field hospitals being established showing rows and rows of beds lined up appear on the News and this makes me feel anxious and I find myself saying “what if?”. I do try to remain positive and to keep hope alive in the midst of this uncertain time.
How have you had to adapt in your role at work?
Four weeks ago we realized we needed to adapt to our new reality and introduce homeschooling for 56 of our children from Grades R – 10. Normally the children go out to the nearby villages to school each day – so this is quite an adjustment for everybody. We have employed some young tertiary students, whose studies have been interrupted, to teach the children. We have created different classrooms and spaces for each grade. We have 18 children in creche aged between two and four years old and eight babies. In the afternoons there are organised sports activities, the older children play with the little ones outside in the sun and they have also been planting their own vegetable gardens – tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, onions, cabbage, lettuce, chillies and beetroot. They are very proud of their efforts.
How have you been spending your time away from work?
Here there is no time away from work – with so many children living on the premises we never close down. Since Lockdown I haven’t been out at all. Fortunately, others in the community are willing to do our weekly shopping in the town of Tzaneen 50kms from here. Only three can travel in a car and they are often stopped on the way and checked by the police. We are classified as an essential service provider so there haven’t been any problems. I go walking around the property in the late afternoons and often think of the song: “You’ll never walk alone” as children join me.
I have a great big family back in SA – my own siblings, in-laws, nieces, nephews, plenty of cousins and friends – and I keep in contact with them when I can. I subscribe to The New Daily and InDaily so I keep up with the news. My sisters laugh at me and tell me I know more about what is happening in Australian than they do. Sometimes the WiFi here isn’t great but we keep in touch regularly. We use all different kinds of social media. I am usually surrounded by children who love to see who I am talking with and to greet them too. I can’t think of anywhere else in the world where I would rather be right now, than right here with these creative, resilient, beautiful children.
