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	Nuns on the Run in Africa By Marion Scott Sunday Mail November 25, 2007 http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/news/uk-and-international-news/2007/11/25/nuns-on-the-run-78057-20158491/ Exclusive Scots Sisters Flee Orphanage In Zambia Amid Cruelty Claims Official Says Kids 'Starved' In 'Concentration Camp' Conditions TWO elderly Scots nuns were forced to flee Africa after being accused of cruelty to children in the orphanage they founded. Dorothy Clark, 65, and Jane Burchill, 76, ran the Little Sisters in Jesus orphanage in central Zambia. The country's human rights commission are investigating, although the women deny reports that include: The conditions were like something out of a "concentration camp". An official compared the situation to "slavery". A Zambian nun said they kept their dogs well fed while orphans "starved". She said they addressed the 18 orphans as "pigs" and made them work for medicine. Sister Dorothy and the Reverend Burchill - a Scottish Episcopal Church priest - founded the orphanage in 1994 in the bush village of Fiwila, around 300 miles from capital Lusaka. It is home to five girls and 13 boys. It was run by a charitable trust which raised funds in Scotland. At their home in Bucksburn, Aberdeen, Sister Dorothy said: "We can't understand what happened." Human rights commissioner Pastor Godfridah Sumaili said: "I am very angry at the way they treated children. "These are vulnerable children and we will not tolerate them being abused. Their treatment has been cruel. "The children have told me that they were starving. They had no proper bedding or clothing. "They were forced to use toilets and showers with no privacy at all, just in the middle of a room. "But the two Scottish nuns were very comfortable. They fed their dogs and cats better than they fed the children. "This was total slavery." The two Scots visited Zambia around once a month. Sister Prudence Kunda, who is in charge day-to-day, said: "The children lived in fear each time the two sisters were present. They called the orphans pigs. "We are now living happily with the children but we are not sure if aid will still flow. "The two white sisters were in charge of everything. "They would prescribe medicine as though they were doctors. Then they would ask you to work for it in the garden or kitchen. "The misery of the children could be seen in their eyes. Most got malnutrition. Three children shared a blanket." Bishop of Central Zambia Derek Kamukwamba raised concerns with the Scots on a visit to the UK in September. They went to Zambia to collect their belongings on November 1 before returning to Scotland. Sister Dorothy said: "We were dedicated to making sure the children were educated, so they in turn could help their own people. "Every hut we built had roofing, mosquito nets and was plumbed with flush toilets. While not ideal conditions, it was better than how many of the neighbours lived. "In September, the bishop told us he could no longer guarantee our safety. We were told to come back and collect our belongings. "We don't know how or why this has happened." Dr Noel Mack, from Kemnay, Aberdeenshire, is a trust official for the orphanage. The GP said: "I have been to the orphanage three times and always found the children to be happy and looked after." The Foreign Office said they were not aware of the situation. The Scottish Episcopal Church said: "We have no role in the governance of the orphanage." 'They fed their dogs better than the children' Contact: m.scott@sundaymail.co.uk.
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