Courage!

Courage!

Even if troubled by the coronavirus, life still goes on!

Sunday, March 15 we celebrated the marriage of Jean Louis and Natasha, aware that the virus will soon affect our lives as well. We pray for all the affected countries, for the sick, the dead and their families, and for all those who care, serve, suffer and love in this difficult time.  At the end of the Masses that I celebrate, I take time to explain what is happening in the world, what the virus is, and what can be done and what should be avoided.

On Tuesday we prepared sinks, with taps, and placed them in our schools, so that children and teachers are able to wash their hands, before starting lessons and during the day. The children have made it a game, it is helpful to start this process with our school age students so as to implement good rules of hygiene.

In the upcoming hours we are waiting for government decisions (which will foresee the closure of schools, meetings and celebrations).

For now there are only 5 official cases and rather limited to the capital, Bangui. We will see if and, above all, how the situation will evolve.

On Wednesdays and Thursdays I went to Bouar, just to see what to do. Like Caritas, we are very worried about what could happen. Especially for the poorest and weakest people.

We are preparing, thinking above all of the last. Next week we will pass through all 12 parishes of the diocese (distant, on average, between 70 and 100 km) to help parish priests and various movements and volunteers to prepare for the worst.

We are preparing gloves, but also food, in order to be close to those who risk being abandoned (elderly, poor, people with disabilities).

There will also be masks. Since it is very difficult to find them, we are making them with the local fabric. Here is the link on how to make a mask:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/6lithu9r4w3cwof/CONFECTIONNER%20UN%20MASQUE%20A%20LA%20MAISON.pdf?dl=0

Taking care of the world

Taking care of the world

It is one of the first times, since I have been in Central Africa, that there has been a reversal of global issues! In general, it is the rest of the world that worries about us, however, recently it is we who are concerned about the rest of the world. The coronavirus crisis is bringing countries and continents to a halt, killing people, and severely affecting many people.

As we think about our families, our friends all over the world, we realize how fragile we are, but also how connected we are.

In Central Africa there seems to be only one case, for now.

But the concern is great: if the virus arrives here, it will be a very serious thing! There is only one lab that can carry out the test, and it is in Bangui, the capital. There are practically no resuscitation facilities, and no possibility of respiratory assistance. Containment measures are very difficult, in a country where you don't live in a home, but rather outside ...

In these days there has been no lack of prayer, or sympathy and the conviction of living a very difficult moment. This morning Bozoum Radio, "la Voix de Koyale" broadcast the Italian anthem as a sign of solidarity and sympathy. Here a small video:

https://www.facebook.com/aurelio.gazzera/videos/10222654366174064/

Last week we gathered moment with the other priests of the diocese to have a moment of prayer.

On Monday I went down to Bangui to accompany Alban, a young Belgian who spent two months with us. Once in Bangui, we were told that the Air France flight, scheduled for the afternoon, was canceled! We managed to find a flight for the following day to Douala, Cameroon, with the hope of leaving for Paris or Brussels in the evening. Tuesday morning, at 5, the flight to Brussels appeared to have been canceled, but then it reappeared on the schedule  and Alban left. In Douala, where he had to spend the whole day, I found a friend who welcomed him, and brought him back to the airport in the evening.

Finally, a few hours later, he managed to leave for Europe.

In the meantime I returned to Bozoum, passing through Baoro and Bouar. It was almost 600 km, along the way I found two cows who decided to sit on a bridge, and there was no way to make them get up and move.  After twenty minutes they decided they were ready and got up.

I kept going, slowly, up to the house, like everyone else 

Little Women Grow Up

Little Women Grow Up

This post is a bit delayed because March 8 fell on Sunday, and we also wanted to celebrate International Women's Day at our St. Augustine High School here in Bozoum.

Schools in Central Africa have days dedicated to cultural activities (sports, conferences, theatre, games, dances).  The final day, Wednesday March 11was dedicated to the girls of our high school.

In the schools here girls are often numerous in the first grade, sometimes even more than boys, but, as they grow up, they are taken away from school to devote themselves to chores around the house first (caring for younger siblings, helping family etc), and then to take a husband (often at a very young age).  So, from the end of elementary school onwards, the number decreases, until it becomes a small minority (sometimes less than 10% of the whole class).

It is therefore important to encourage girls to continue their studies, in order to broaden the horizons of a life which, for a woman in Central Africa, is rather difficult.

March 8 becomes an opportunity for our girls to reflect, discuss, but also to have fun serenely, with skits, dances, games.

In the meantime, we are here in Central Africa hearing of the coronavirus. Thank God, for now, the country has not (yet) been affected. We are still worried, because if it arrives, it will be a catastrophe (only one laboratory, in the capital, can run the test).

But we are following with apprehension what is happening in China, Italy and Europe, Asia, the Americas, Australia, and we pray for all those affected.

 

Via Crucis

Tavola rotonda
Carrefour

Families

Families

This week was all about marriages and families.

On Monday and Tuesday Fr. Marcello (who was the parish priest of Bozoum until 2002) worked with all the catechists of Bozoum and the surrounding villages (about fifty). From Wednesday to Saturday, 17 couples took part in classes on this important aspect of their lives and faith.

Sunday afternoon our bishop, Mgr Mirk Gucwa, arrived for a short visit. It was an opportunity to share the joys and labors of pastoral work, and for him to visit our parish, even if it was very quick. Monday morning we went to greet the students of St. Augustine High School. The students, especially the girls, have the opportunity to participate in interesting initiatives in Cuneo (my big city!): During International Women's Day a nursery (Roagna Garden) offered part of their proceeds to supplement  the scholarships of girls from our high school. Since we started having scholarships available to our female students we have seen their commitment grow: in the last school year (2018/19) in 3 of our classes the girls ranked first place. Thanks to Roagna, Baramò, Salinzucca, and to Paolo Silvestro & friends!

With the return of the Peuls (nomads) in the Bozoum area, in addition to the milk they brought we also found some surprises: in Bokongo (15 km from Bozoum, on the road to Bangui) the returned Peuls are almost 200. Many, in these years of war, have lost almost everything (especially cattle), and have had great difficulties. I have visited with them and together we are trying to understand what their most urgent needs are. They are full of hope, very joyful, and have been well received by the village from which they had to escape in 2013.

First and foremost they need to feel welcomed and protected but there are also health concerns.  I started off by buying basic medicines (a rather small box with disinfectants, ointments, antibiotics, anti-malarials etc., it costs more than 300 euros!).  Monday a nurse will start her daily visits on a motorbike to treat them. This is an initiative implemented by Caritas, and I hope to expand it elsewhere, if possible.

It is for them but also for all those seeking peace, that we are renovating the Maison de la Paix (House of Peace). We had started the renovations in the middle of the war, to have a space for dialogue and discussion, and thanks to some volunteers it continues to offer the possibility of solving problems and tensions peacefully.

On Monday 2 March, exactly 4 months from the last time, the rain finally began to fall in Bozoum.

Peuls a Bokongo

Registro ambulatorio
Registe consultations

Lycée St.Augustin

Formazione dei catechisti
Formation des catéchistes

Formazione al Mttrimonio
Formation Mariage

Maison de la paix

Prima pioggia 2020
Première pluie 2020