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Maud Kells |
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This is Maud Kells from Cookstown
Co. Tyrone. Maud trained as a nurse in Belfast's
Royal Victoria Hospital. 2005 makes it thirty-seven
years since she made her first trip - by
boat - to Congo to do missionary work.
Since then
she has made 18 visits to the Congo, staying
on occasions up to four years at a time.
She now spends half of her year in Congo
and half
back home in Cookstown.
When she's home
she gives illustrated talks and slide-shows
to
PWA and other groups. Her most recent
missionary work has involved overseeing
the opening
of an airfield, managing the construction
of a
new school and hospital, both with hand
made bricks.
Maud works near the eastern border of Congo
near Isiro and Mulita,
an area that continues to experience ongoing
conflict and hardship. She has been evacuated
twice from the area and has had to rebuild
many buildings including her own house there
after it was ransacked by rebels who left
none
of her belongings behind.
The hospital she helped build has also come
under frequent attack and much equipment
- even Maud's precious Land Rover - was
stolen at one point. In her own words Maud said: 'In September
2002 Nyankunde was invaded by ethnic rebels
and many, many people were massacred. That
huge mission/church/complex has been completely
destroyed and the whole community devastated.'
(Updated July 2005) |
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