AFRICA/BURKINA FASO - At Ouagadougou main prison Camillian Brothers guarantee spiritual assistance and medical care

Friday, 13 January 2006

Ouagadougou (Fides Service) - MACO, short for Maison of Arrest and Correction Ouagadougou, is the oldest prison in Burkina Faso and the one with the highest number of detainees (1,016 on 31 December 2005). Major criminals and political prisoners are detained here. The prison consists of a large three floor building said by experts to be uninhabitable, humid, airless and dark. In the rain season water penetrates the cells and cases of pneumonia and TB are frequent. Some 800 male prisoners are cooped up 8 or 10 in cells planned to hold 2 or 4 at the most. There is a smaller building for women prisoners aged 12 to 32 and another one for about fifty minors.
Until 1981 the chaplain was an Italian missionary. When the missionary returned to Italy his job was entrusted to the parish of San Camillo in which the penitentiary is situated. At first the parish limited its assistance to the regular celebration of Sunday Mass. Then the post of full time chaplain was given to Fr Eligio Castaldo at present on mission in Chile. With him chaplaincy at MACO changed. Besides offering spiritual care Fr Eligio wanted the prisoners to have basic medical care. With funds from individuals and the Prisoners without Frontiers Association he started a medicine deposit where prisoners can obtain basic medicines not guaranteed by the prison authorities. If a prisoner is ill he has to rely on the family. If the family does nothing, the institute has no means of helping him. Now at the chaplain’s deposit prisoners can buy basic medicines at a low price and for the very poor prisoners they are free. It should not be forgotten that Burkina Faso is one of the Sahel countries whose peoples live in extreme poverty. The state does what it can, with aid progress is being made, but only very slowly. (GG/AP) (13/1/2006 Agenzia Fides; Righe 22; Parole 341)


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