2013 - Growing Leaders and Going Deeper in Partnership

The overseas part of the Bishop of Lichfield's 2013 Lent Appeal focused on 'Growing Leadership'

Thanks to the generous giving of individuals and Churches in the Lichfield Diocese a two young leaders from our Partner Diocese of Matlosane were able to join with a team of people from Lichfield Diocese in visiting the community based charity 'Hands at Work in Africa' during July and August 2013.


 Hands at Work support local communities who care for orphaned and vulnerable children in 7 countries in Africa.  A network of care volunteers carry out this vital work through home based care visits to children in need  - often who have been orphaned as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.  They focus on food security, health and education. This essential work is carried out by ordinary people with a big heart for those in need and is a practical  response of the church to care for those who are vulnerable and in need.

Left to Right - Kagiso, Rose, Mmabatho and Tsholo
( a lady who hosted the Lichfield team members in Matlosane)

The 2013 visit was organised by the Link 4 Life Project - a local church based charity which was started in Great Wyrley in Lichfield Diocese in 2010.  Link 4 Life seeks to support Hands at Work and other Christian partners in Africa and does this by accompanying young people and adults on visits to South Africa to witness and join in with the work of their partners.  Those who take part in these visits are challenged and encouraged to speak up for those in need and raise funds to support the work of the charities who have hosted them.

Church and Community Team as they left Great Wyrley on 28 July

The visit in July2013 was a two stage affair - and advance team of 4 people from Lichfield Diocese (Philip Swan, Rose Westwood, Maria Kay and Millie Swan) were wonderfully welcomed by their hosts in Matlosane, with whom they stayed for 4 days.  After this two young leaders from Matlosane (Kagiso and Mmabatho) travelled with themto Johannesburg where they met the rest of the Link 4 Life team and then moved on to Mpumalanga in the north east of South Africa where Hands at Work is based.

Rose, Kagiso, Revd Sam Diphokwane, Philip, Millie & Maria

To find out more about what  the combined team of Matlosane and Lichfield got up to  (they called themselves 'The Collective' ) please click on the links below which will take you to the various posts which they wrote at the time.











http://link4lifeproject.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/latest-news-from-matlosane-five-and.html

http://link4lifeproject.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/church-and-community-team-from-heathrow.html

http://link4lifeproject.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/two-teams-one-goal-successful-joining.html

http://link4lifeproject.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/day-one-30th-july-2013.html

 http://link4lifeproject.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/day-two-31st-july-2013.html

http://link4lifeproject.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/day-3-1st-august-2013.html

http://link4lifeproject.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/day-4-2nd-august-2013.html

 http://link4lifeproject.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/a-toilet-is-on-way.html

 http://link4lifeproject.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/partnership-and-friendship.html

 http://link4lifeproject.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/partnership-and-friendship-cont.html

http://link4lifeproject.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/performance-poet-millie-gets-inspired.html

There are more plans for 'Growing Leadership' shared visits and activities in 2014 and we hope to keep the blog up to date with all that happens.

Rose & Richard Westwood