AMERICA/BRAZIL - After 10 years, a new phase of the inter-congregational missionary Project in Haiti

Friday, 23 October 2020 missionary animation   orders   human promotion   poverty   education   women  

Brasilia (Agenzia Fides) - The project for missionary cooperation between the Churches in Brazil and Haiti started 10 years ago: the "Inter-congregational Project for Solidarity" was born from the collaboration of the National Brazilian Bishops' Conference (CNBB) and the Conference of Religious of Brazil (CRB) with the Haitian Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince and the Conference of Religious (CHR) of Haiti. On January 12, 2010, Haiti suffered the largest earthquake in its history, which caused the deaths of over 300,000 people and left more than 1 million homeless.
Faced with this tragedy, the Brazilian Church, through the religious and Caritas Brazil, began its missionary work on the Island to ensure a presence of solidarity, hospitality and evangelization in Haiti and to contribute to the reconstruction and to guarantee dignified conditions for the poor (see Fides, 20/9/2010; 21/2/2011; 13/5/2011).
In September 2010 the first three religious were sent on a mission to Haiti. Since then, religious sisters from 17 congregations have worked in Haiti. There are currently four nuns working in an extremely poor community on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. The sisters offer advanced training courses in leadership training and literacy for women and run a communal kitchen. They also provide psychological support and organize courses in art, music and theater, sewing, baking and pasta workshops. They are also involved in the education of adolescents and young people, and look after about 50 children with extreme malnutrition.
Sister Fatima Kapp, director of the Mission Department of the CRB, emphasizes that the majority of the Haitian population is affected by extreme poverty and high unemployment, which in turn creates hunger and violence. Moreover, everything is very difficult, there is not even a permanent residence for the nuns who are involved in the projects. In September 2020, the 10-year initially set for the implementation of the project expired. With the support of the CNBB, however, the CRB took on the responsibility of continuing the socio-pastoral initiaves in the region and started a new phase of the inter-congregational mission in Haiti. (SL) (Agenzia Fides, 23/10/2020)


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