The vision of Sister Ethel Normoyle, the late founder of the Missionvale Care Centre, to establish a fully-fledged youth development and training centre in Missionvale, is being realised.
Her lifelong dream was to see prosperity and success among the youth of Missionvale, by providing them access to accredited training and development programmes to uplift them from the scourge of poverty, gangsterism and drug abuse.
At a moving sod-turning ceremony recently, Missionvale Care Centre marketing manager, Linda van Oudheusden, joined by Father Dominic Dube and the youth of Missionvale, explained the significance of this centre, which will be called the Impumelelo Training Centre (ITC).
Van Oudheusden said that the soil on which every building on the site is erected was blessed with a personally written prayer by Normoyle and buried in the ground before building resumed.
This spiritual tradition was replicated by Van Oudheusden, Father Dube, and the youth of Missionvale, before construction commences.
The special Irish turf spade, known as a sleán, which was used to turn the soil, is the same spade which belonged to Normoyle’s late father which she brought from Ireland to turn the sod when the church at the care centre’s campus was constructed.
Van Oudheusden said that the first phase of the new construction will start immediately. “However, more funding is required to continue with the next phase. We are committed to making Sister Ethel’s dream to reality.
“We want this Youth Development Centre to be a place of joy, hope, learning, unity, and love,” said Van Oudheusden. Normoyle believed that education is a key contributor to eradicating poverty and the social ills that emanate from it.
“Her ambition was to give youth hope and opportunities to develop into meaningful adults who can provide for their families,” said Van Oudheusden.
She said that the centre will embark on various fund-raising initiatives to continue with the next phase of the building.
“We hope to find donors who can support the project so that learning and development can start as soon as possible,” said Van Oudheusden.
