Interview– Mr.Thinky Mabaso

What is your role in Holy Spirit Region?

I am the Executive Director of Cabrini Ministries Ethiopia, and a Member of the Regional Lay Formation team.

Tell us a bit about yourself:

My name is Thinky Mabaso, and I was born and raised in Swaziland as the last born of a family of 7. I studied in South Africa and have worked as a Human Resources Director and later Operations Director at Amitofo Care Center Eswatini. Later, I joined Cabrini Ministries Eswatini as an Office Associate. From there, I took on a different role as an Executive Assistant. I was then appointed to be part of the FROMISCA commission looking for the new mission in 2017 to celebrate the Centenary (100 years) since Mother Cabrini died. In 2016, I was tasked as a part-time consultant for Cabrini Ministries Ethiopia on organizational development. In 2018, I was appointed the Executive Director for Cabrini Ministries Ethiopia, and moved to Ethiopia. My family joined me in January 2019 and we are together now in Dubbo.

And your family?

My mother and siblings are in all Swaziland, while I currently live in Ethiopia with my wife and my daughter who is 1 year and 10 months old. 

Your Cabrini History – how did you meet the MSCs?

When I was studying in South Africa I used to visit the Mission of St. Phillips where the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart worked.  That was when I met the MSCs… I also got the opportunity to occasionally participate in the outreach program with the health care team whenever possible. It was then that I started visiting the Mission even for short times just to continue participating in the mission. It was from then that I got an opportunity to work with Cabrini Eswatini.

What do you hope for with HSR?

My hope for the HSR is to grow in terms of Vocations. Secondly, it is to grow as a region with centralized structures, for programs enabling growth and stability of the region, so as to be able to continue to respond to the visible needs in the community served. 

Share a bit about living & working in another country with your family.

Working in another country with my family is a real comfort since we are together and we share in our mission. However, this meant moving my family from their comfort zone and learning to live a simple life and learn to cope with less access to some things that were of basic life in Swaziland. We also had to learn to look at the bigger picture and find strength in what we do. Having my family with me has been of great support to the work done here.

What are your dreams for the future?

My dreams are for this region to continue growing and serving the people of God, especially the most vulnerable. My personal dream is to continue to be a Partner in Mission in one way or the other. I hope to grow in my career to be better able to render quality support and guidance for my team. I hope this region will grow in terms of resource mobilization and programs in a more centralized way to make it easier to continue providing the basic services necessary for the most vulnerable community we serve. 

(thanks to the Holy Spirit Region Newsletter for this interview)

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