Working in The Province of Indian Ocean

The Province of the Indian Ocean, covering Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles, was founded in 1973, and there are seven dioceses. The MU first came to Madagascar in 1903, and this is where the majority of the members live. They speak Malagasy and French, in the Seychelles English and French is spoken, and in Mauritius English, French and Creole.

The MU is also growing fast with many new young people deciding to join. One of the main projects is the MU run orphanage, which has been a great success and has a holistic approach. One great need within the province is that of provision of basic literacy and numeracy skills.

Responding to these needs, literacy and development programmes for women and young girls have started in most of the dioceses. The MU is also working very closely with the Church throughout the province of Indian Ocean to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and organise workshops and training sessions to support their campaign.

The MU plays an integral part in Church life, with many members choosing to be lay readers, Sunday school leaders and members of the Church Council. The MU also provides Bible study classes and marriage preparation programmes to support the church family.

The Diocese of Toamasina in Madagascar identified 200 families who had been affected by the tail end of the tsunami that hit South East Asia at the end of December 2004. Although the force of the wave had diminished significantly by the time it reached Madagascar, the wave still had a devastating effect on some homes. At the end of March 2005 a grant was sent from the MU Relief Fund to help the Diocese purchase emergency food supplies and blankets for these families.