Teachers in training.2

Teachers in training.2 

The two training sessions for elementary school teachers came to an end. Between here, Bozoum, and Bouar, more than 250 teachers worked for a week, morning and afternoon, together with 13 volunteers from the Prague NGO, SIRIRI.OPS. 

Six days of intense work, during which 24 Central African trainers helped teachers understand the "Learning by playing" method, and worked with them on reading, writing and arithmetic. 

It is interesting to see the passing of the baton among the trainers: 5 years ago, at the beginning, the trainers were all foreigners, while now they are all Central Africans. The volunteers of SIRIRI.OPS (from the Czech Republic and France) were able to motivate them, encourage them and support them during these days. 

The sessions ended on Saturday, and this allowed the 5 SIRIRI volunteers who had worked in Bouar to join us in Bozoum. 

On Sunday we prayed and thanked together during Mass, and in the afternoon we could not miss a visit to the rice fields. 

Sow, work, be patient, and hope for fruits ...

A spider web, a rainbow and orchids

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A spider web, a rainbow and orchids 

Monday morning while on my way to school I saw a spider's web: a marvel of intelligence, a mixture of chemistry, physics and much more. 

I was going to visit the teachers training on the project "Learning by playing". A project conceived in the Czech Republic, which friends of the NGO SIRIRI have been carrying out for 5 years. It is a pedagogical method developed for elementary students to try to change a rather difficult situation: children learn what they can by heart, without much assistance of their teachers in terms of helping them actually understand, to develop reasoning that brings them to really learn. In addition to this, the program is done in French something that the students do not speak neither at school or at home it so the difficulties in actually learning this program are quite large.

There are benefits to the new program though; it tries to help children learn while having fun, and involves teaching in the national language (Sango). A simpler language, spoken and used every day. 

Thanks to this method, children are able to read and write in the first months of the first grade. A big difference with the traditional method, in which children take 2-3 years to stutter a little in French, without really understanding the rules and the mechanism. 

These days a group of volunteers from the Czech Republic and France are training more than 250 teachers (160 here in Bozoum and 90 in Bouar). Training is provided mainly by Central African teachers, with Czech volunteers providing safe support and guidance. 

That's why the spider web struck me: calm, method and patience, a small revolution is happening in Central African education. 

Low and behold the rainbow of yesterday (a double rainbow), calls for peace, of which school and teaching is one of the foundations. 

To top it all, these days orchids are blooming on the grounds of the Mission.

Work and festivities

Work and festivities

August, and it's raining! 

In Central Africa the month of August is the culmination of the rainy season. And even this year it is no different.

Last week, with Caritas, we distributed household goods (buckets, soap, etc.) for 400 Bozoum families. Within the same project, with the help of Misereor (German Caritas) and Cordaid (Dutch Caritas) we provided beds, mattresses and kitchen equipment for 38 families in situations of severe poverty. And with the help of the Lutheran World Federation we are building 11 homes for as many families. 

Sunday, after the celebration of 2 Masses, I left for Bangui. The purpose of this trip was mainly the participation in the meetings with our Provincial, Fr.Saverio, who was passing through Central Africa. We met with the other Carmelites who work in Central Africa in the communities of Baoro, Bouar (Yolé and St.Elie), Bozoum and Bangui. 

On Tuesday afternoon, 12 people from SIRIRI, the NGO of Prague, will arrive in Central Africa for 2 weeks, for teacher training on the method "Learning by playing": some come from the Czech Republic, others from France. 

We will leave with them on Wednesday morning to Bozoum. 

We arrived on August 15, the feast of the Assumption of Mary. 

As per tradition we celebrate the Mass in Doussa, a village 4 km from Bozoum, on the banks of the Ouham River, a few hundred meters from the yards of Chinese companies that extract gold. Some Christians from other nearby villages are also present.

Unfortunately, despite the publication of the river water analysis (which revealed the worrying presence of mercury) NO ONE moved, NO ONE took care to inform the population of the risk of contact and water use, NO ONE reacted . 

So at the end of the Mass, we made a small pilgrimage to the bridge over the river Ouham (built in 1943 by Italian soldiers taken prisoner by the British in Ethiopia!). We carried the statue of Our Lady: in our simple faith, we know that when NO ONE on earth listens to us, it is still her, the Mother, who does not forget about her weakest and most abandoned children. After having arrived on the bridge, we entrusted to her and to her Son the men who suffer and are at risk, the creation entrusted to us, the water that flows into the river.

Distribuzioni
Distributions

Concelebrazione della Messa al Carmel con p.Saverio
Concélébration au Carmel avec le p.Saverio

Messa a Doussa
Messe à Doussa

Benedizione del fiume Ouham
Bénédiction du fleuve Ouham

Formazione dei formatori
Formation des formmateurs

"For the sake of my people I will not keep silent" (Isaiah 62:1)

"For the sake of my people I will not keep silent" (Isaiah 62:1) 

Life goes on, in Bozoum. Among the various construction sites (schools and the radio station), the preparation of formations for 250 masters, the work of the fields, time passes.

But some problems remain. Rather! 

Last week the results of the analysis of the waters of the Ouham River, here in Bozoum, were made public. The samples taken near the sites where the Chinese companies extract the gold revealed very troublesome data: in addition to the very high turbidity, there are iron and, unfortunately, also a lot of mercury, as we feared. 

Mercury is used to "concentrate" gold: once extracted everything must be heated to separate the gold from the mercury. It is a very dangerous practice, and because of contamination mercury is found throughout our water, air and vegetables, thus affecting the entire food chain. 

Unfortunately, although the results were published, there was no reaction from the authorities. No precaution and no information given to the people. 

On Sunday, after Mass, I informed those present about the problem, and I invited everyone to pay attention, not to go to the river to wash clothes, or for the artisan extraction of gold. And this is especially for women and children, who are most at risk. 

Unfortunately, Monday morning I saw, with concern, dozens of women and children going to the river to look for gold (some women even pregnant). 

What can we do?

Il rapporto sull'analisi delle acque del fiume Ouham a Bozoum
Le rapport de l'analyse des eaux de l'Ouham à Bozoum

 

Le risaie di Bozoum
les rizières de Bozoum

Bozoum, welcoming land

Bozoum, welcoming land 

With the end of the school year, the Mission life should be at a calmer pace, the key word being should.

Work is not lacking. Right now we are starting the construction of 5 classrooms, in Bozoum, thanks to funding from UNICEF. 

The construction of the Radio Koyale site is also almost finished. 

Thank you to God that in Bozoum we also received many visitors. Just today the great Mario Mazzali left, we call him our Super Mario: a tireless and highly efficient worker, for some years he has dedicated a few months to installing electrical systems, repairing faults, inventing solutions to the various technical problems that life in the Mission inevitably happen. 

Yesterday Maria Cottone arrived, who is keen to share the joy of the Mission from Catania. She arrived yesterday with Veronika, from Prague, who for a few months will follow the educational projects of the NGO SIRIRI. 

Soon Nathalie, who arrived in February, will leave. 

The results of the final exams have finally been published. At the national level, only 10% students passed. 

For our St. Augustin high school, however, the results are much better: out of 26 candidates, 19 passed, and 7 excelled on various subjects. 

One final bit of news: Fr. Norberto, who left Bozoum last week due to health reasons, arrived safely in Italy, and is now in the Negrar hospital (Verona). He's better and he's recovering.

Scuola in costruzione
école en construction

Nathalie

Radio Bozoum

Maria

Mario, superMario