AFRICA/DR CONGO - The commitment of the Sisters of St. Joseph: Welcoming abandoned childhood

Uvira (Agenzia Fides) - Children were left at the hospital door. Or in front of the community. Or, were brought after being abandoned. The Sisters of St. Joseph found themselves dealing with an increasing number of very small children who needed everything. What could be done? The only solution was to create a structure that would welcome them. So in 2012, the orphanage at the "Mario Vannucci" Hospital Center was born, about 20 km from Uvira, near the border between DR Congo and Burundi. "Uvira is located in the north of Lake Tanganyika", says Sister Clare, who is in charge of the Missions Sisters of St. Joseph Onlus. "It is a region inhabited by a very poor and illiterate population. In recent years it was at the center of military actions that caused instability and accentuated poverty".
Many mothers died of childbirth diseases in the small dispensaries of the surrounding villages. Fathers, often soldiers, and family members could not take care of them. Thus the little orphans were entrusted to the dispensary. But the staff did not have and do not have the tools or facilities to look after the little ones. "The first time - remembers Sister Françoise, the person in charge of the orphanage - was the case of a baby girl who, rejected by the staff, died after four days. There was a second case of a baby boy who died a week after his mother died, because the relatives did not know where to take him".
As time went on, similar cases were repeated periodically. "So the sisters - continues Sr. Françoise - thought of welcoming these children relying on the help of Providence: they are children of God". The community premises are redesigned to accommodate the children. The religious is helped by two local women. Meanwhile, the number of children is growing. Many of them are left at the door of the orphanage because relatives know that the nuns can take care of them.
"Today there are 26 children and two of them attend kindergarten", concludes Sister Françoise. "What will their future be? We leave everything in God's hands and work in the name of Christ. In the institute children and girls will be raised in the healthiest way possible. Thanks to distance adoptions, they will be given the opportunity to study and create a future. Meanwhile, we must say thanks to God and to those who support us".
The phenomenon of abandoned childhood is a real emergency in the DR Congo. They are generally children of very poor families, many are orphans or abandoned because their parents have no hope of a future and are not able to feed them or take care of them. (EC) (Agenzia Fides, 6/4/2018)

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