Two Great Women

A letter from Jan Heckler serving in Madagascar

Late Fall-Winter 2015

Some of the things you might notice while visiting foreign lands are a country’s institutions, beliefs and practices relative to your own.  Or since each culture is unique, you may detect the absence of some cultural practice altogether.  One might observe the role the judiciary plays in society, for instance, or the way that “left-hand taboos” or superstitions are expressed, or even the value that is placed on the equality of one’s fellow human beings.

In all the places I have been in sub-Saharan Africa, it seems to me that women still struggle against a dominant male force in these respective societies.  Girls are raised to be respectful and obedient to the men around them or even, as in one small part in southeast Madagascar, to use only the east side door when entering a home or building in order to reserve the other doors exclusively for use by boys and men.

Rev. Yvette Rabemila, M.Div., speaking at her church’s celebration of her 70th birthday and the release of her new book in which she advocates for a new level of respect and acceptance of retired ministers

Gender equity is one reason why I get so excited about education projects in such nations.  Education of girls is strongly linked to a variety of social and demographic indicators by the World Health Organization, UNESCO and the World Bank that show improvement in overall community development. And it is hoped that with equity in education there will be a real chance for equity overall.

Madagascar’s urban areas seem to tolerate or even encourage equitable treatment of women more so than its rural areas do.  Still, even in the city you can feel sometimes as if you’re in your grandmother’s generation in the United States when you observe how strongly women are encouraged to confine their interests to certain vocations or to limit their aspirations to being good wives and mothers.

Pastor Yvette Rabemila, who recently celebrated her 70^th birthday, has lived her life as a message of equality to all who would appraise her being.  She was the first woman ever to serve as Vice President of the Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar, the PC(USA)’s partner church here often abbreviated as FJKM from the Malagasy equivalent.  A huge achievement anywhere, but especially in a country like this one.

Pastor Yvette does not consider herself a crusader, and yet in the course of her life she has repeatedly been the first or one of the very first women to do any number of things, including attending and graduating from FJKM’s seminary, being elected to the church’s national council(the Mpiandraikitra Foibe), successfully functioning on the executive committee of FJKM, and becoming one of FJKM’s theological colleges’ first female professors.

Yvette is widely known and loved.  My mentor since I arrived in Madagascar, she and I have become good friends and will often share a meal together.  It is my consistent observation over these three and a half years that Yvette is most decidedly one of those people that wherever you go, she is nearly always recognized by her old students or colleagues who love to come up to greet her “after all these years” and to tell her once again what a huge difference she made in their lives.  It is like dessert with no calories!

Pastors Yvette Rabemila (l.) and Brigitte Rabaruaona (r.) receive the 2014 Sylvia Michel Prize from the prize’s namesake in Heiden, Switzerland, last March

Last March Yvette was a co-recipient of the 2014 Sylvia Michel Prize awarded to her in Heiden, Switzerland.  She and her co-winner, Brigitte Rabarijaona (also of FJKM), are the first women in Madagascar to earn this esteemed recognition.

The award is named for Sylvia Michel, the first woman to be elected to the position of president of her church in Europe.  In Pastor Yvette’s case, it truly is a tribute to her lifelong struggle against prejudice, her many accomplishments despite the obstacles, and her desire to be recognized and treated on the basis of her conduct and achievement and not her gender.

Not long ago I shared with Yvette an article about another great woman, Dr. Frances Kelsey, who died August 7 this year at the age of 101.  Kelsey, a U.S. scientist, is largely credited with recognizing the potential dangers of a drug called thalidomide back in 1960 when she had only just begun working at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  Despite the fact that the drug was already being used in 40 countries and despite strenuous male opposition (both governmental and corporate in nature), Kelsey felt compelled to block thalidomide’s use in the United States. Later it was learned that the drug was extremely dangerous, causing life-changing birth defects of 10,000 babies, mostly in Europe.  (See a story about Dr. Kelsey and her recent death at http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-frances-kelsey-20150809-story.html).

I wanted to share Kelsey’s story with Yvette for another reason.  As it would so happen, Yvette was forced to retire at age 60 in 2005.  This was required of her despite the fact that male ministers of FJKM at the time could wait to retire until they were 65.  Yvette crusaded along with others to change this antiquated notion and finally succeeded in achieving equitable retirement conditions for those who will come after her.  Also, Yvette has written a book, just published in August, regarding how retired ministers might better be utilized and regarded. I knew she would want to know that Frances Kelsey retired from the FDA just 11 years ago, when she was 90 years old.

I don’t get to meet wonders like Yvette Rabemila every day.  But the struggles of good people like Yvette against a myriad of life problems and realities that seem ever present in Madagascar (e.g., hunger, lack of medical care, natural disasters, political instability, and illiteracy) are present every day.

I thank you for the generous support that an increasing number of you provide.  Your gifts of prayer and financial support are what make the PC(USA)’s partnership with churches like FJKM and our presence in Madagascar possible.  You are already here with Yvette and me when you enable me to be here ministering with our brothers and sisters who have requested this partnership.

Still, more people’s support is needed.  Presbyterian World Mission has an urgent need for your help if our work is going to continue.  Please, if you have not already, consider making a gift in support of our mission in Madagascar.  And if you have already given, please consider increasing your gift for the coming year.  Will you share about God’s mission in Madagascar with neighboring churches and invite them to join us?   I will be most grateful.  Thanks be to God for the privilege of serving, and many thanks to each of you who supports and accompanies me on this wondrous life-transforming journey.

Jan Heckler

The 2015 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 154