Life while on the way

 

 

 

Life while on the way

The time of Lent continues, which is so important for us, we are in a period of world uncertainty due to the war in Ukraine.

On Friday the 18th I went to Bozoum, where life moves forward, as well as the initiatives. The Arcobaleno Center for orphans continues to welcome over 200 children, supported in particular by the parish of Cassina Amata (Milan).

Saturday and Sunday I went to the smaller villages on the road to Bossemptele. Saturday I was in Zoungbe, and Sunday morning in Balembe.

On Monday I continued the road to Bangui. For a few weeks there have been 2 companies that are "supposed to" be repairing the road. "Supposed to", because in reality the work they do is so minimal that in a few months it will have to be done again. Most of the holes are filled with earth and gravel, on which a layer of tar is sprinkled, covered by a few millimeters of gravel.

It's a shame, because there is funding, but there doesn't seem to be any control over the quality of work being done.

On the other hand, a few months ago, signs for vodka advertising, "Produced in Central Africa with Russian technology", have sprung up ...

In Bangui work is progressing well, and after the usual meeting on Tuesday afternoon, I returned to Baoro on Wednesday.

Here I found Mario Mazzali, the indispensable volunteer who sets up almost everything: from carpentry machines, to motors, to electrical systems.

Jana Škubalová, the director of the NGO SIRIRI in Prague, with whom we have been collaborating for years, also arrived. In the upcoming days they will visit the various projects, with particular attention to the resumption of the "Learning by Playing" program for elementary schools.

Let's hope!

Pubblicità della vodka!
Publicité pour la vodka!

Zoungbe

Balembe

Lavori (!!!) in corso
Travaux (!!!) près de Baoro

Carmel - Bangui

Lavori (!!!) in corso
Travaux (!!!) près de Baoro

Jana alla Scuola Materna "Il Germoglio" di Baoro
Jana à l'école maternelle de Baoro

 

 

Small world and big world

 

Ponte verso Bayanga Didi
Le pont avant Bayanga Didi

Small world and big world

This week (this week!) Has been quite eventful.

On Saturday 12 March I went to Bayanga Didi, one of the furthest villages. I had planned some activities (for the kindergarten children and in the church) and a meeting with the catechists of the villages in the area. We managed to get to the them, while our meeting ended in a stalemate, thanks to some people being little tipsy ...

Sunday the 13th I celebrated Mass in Bawi, 35 km on the road to Bangui. A lively celebration on this journey of Lent, where we also bring the concerns of the world, in particular for the war in Ukraine.

On Monday the 14th I left early to go to Niem, 130 km from Baoro. The purpose of the visit was to organize some aid for this area, troubled for years first by the rebels, and then by the various military  groups who take turns harassing the villages. With Caritas International we are buying seeds and food to help the population regain life and dignity.
The road is quite bad: it takes almost 2 hours to cover 60 km.  In addition to potholes, there remains the fear of mines, which are sometimes placed on the road, causing death and destruction. We get to Niem quite well. Apart from a group of Russian mercenaries that we passed: one of them blocked my way, then came up and punched the glass on my side. I left before they could do more damage!
In Niem we had a meeting with the local community, to understand what were the most urgent needs and planned our intervention.

The rest of the week saw us busy with schools, and other activities. Passing by to visit our school in Kouisso Baguera, I found a class participating in gymnastics.

We had some rain, and everything is turning green again. But, between one rain and another, the temperature rises a lot, up to almost 40 °.

Bawi

Guarda bene!
A bien regarder!

Niem

Cappella delle suore di Niem
La chapelle des Soeurs de Niem

Lezione di ginnastica
Leçon de E.P.S.

 

 

 

Justified absence

 

 

Nizza - Nice

 

Justified absence

Last week I didn't publish anything on the blog, because I was in Europe bringing home a sick confrere.

Fr Marcello, 70 years old (of which 40 of those years in Central Africa), had not been well for a few days. At first it looked like the usual malaria, but as the days passed the situation worsened, with the right side of the body semi-paralyzed. Ischemia? Stroke? Something else? Here in the area it isn't possible to carry out in-depth investigations, much less hypothesize surgical interventions.

On Thursday 24 February the superiors decided to send him to Italy, and asked me to accompany him. Organizing trips to Italy is always complicated, and even more so with a sick person, and with very little notice. But Providence is great, and so are the many people who have worked hard to succeed in this enterprise, which is just short of a miracle.

On Thursday morning, Fr Marcello arrived in Baoro, accompanied by Brother Aristide (professional nurse).  In the afternoon we left for Bossemptele, 92 km away, where the Carmelite Sisters welcomed us for the night. We were all very worried, because he was unable to walk, to coordinate movements and began to have difficulty speaking.

Friday morning we left just before 5, and around 8.30 we were in Bangui, the capital. We went immediately for a Covid swab, hoping that it was negative and that it arrived in time for the departure of the plane.  Everything went well: negative test, a little rest for Fr Marcello, and around 3 pm we arrived at the airport. We managed to do all the paperwork and passed all the checks, and around 5 pm the plane left. We had a long stopover in Cameroon, and at 11 pm we left for Paris, where we arrived at around 6 in the morning. We managed, very quickly, to move and take the next plane to Nice, where we arrive at around 9.

Here we found Father Davide, who came to pick us up, and we immediately left for the hospital in Pietra Ligure (Sv), where we entered the Emergency Room at around 10:30.

It took a long time, but after a CT scan, in the early afternoon, it turned out that it was not an ischemia, but rather some hematomas that put pressure on the brain. Fr Marcello was finally hospitalized in the ward, and after a meeting with the doctor, I was finally able to leave, leaving him in excellent hands.

Fr Marcello was then operated on on Tuesday, March 1st, and is slowly recovering.

On Saturday evening I managed to reach my family, in Cuneo, where I spent a few days.

The plan was to leave on Thursday, but it was not possible, because my visa for Central Africa had not arrived in time. On Friday, March 4th,  I went to Paris, where I was able to collect my passport with the visa at the Central African Embassy. One day round trip!

So Sunday evening I left, together with Marco Olivero, a young man from Caraglio who will give us a hand for a few weeks here in Baoro.

A night in Paris, and on Monday we travelled to Bangui, where we arrived in the afternoon.

The first rains already arrived, and it was a feast for the eyes to see the green of the grass appear.

On Tuesday I worked on the construction site, and on Wednesday we left for Baoro, to resume the various commitments and work which were temporarily suspended. For justified absence.

Monastero Carmelitane - Savona

Verduno

 

 

 

Parigi - Paris

 

 

a

Parigi - Collège des Bernardins

Bangui

Bangui - Lavori del nuovo convento
Travaux du nouveau couvent

 

Caffé