Dushanbe (Fides Service) – The Catholic Mission of Tajikistan has opened a feeding centre for needy children to serve at least 60 little ones. The centre was inaugurated on 18 June by the Apostolic Nuncio for Central Asia, Archbishop Josef Wesolowski and the superior of the Mission Reverend Father Carlos Avila, of the Divine Word Mission Society, both resident at Dushambe.
The Centre opened with local songs in Tajik and Russian, will be funded by the Catholic Mission and will be managed by young volunteers from St Joseph’s parish at Dushanbe. Half the sixty children who will benefit from the service offered by the local Catholic community are Catholics, half are Muslims. “Of course the Centre cannot meet all the needs in the region, but it is a small contribution which we are happy to be able to make” Sergei Kviatkovsky, the Mission’s communications officer, told Fides Service.
To start with the Feeding Centre will be open three days a week, but it hopes to work in future on a daily basis, if the economic and human resources allow.
Tajikistan Catholic Mission, created in 1997, has care of 245 Catholics living in this former Soviet territory, (area 143,100 sq. km) which today has a population of about 6 million, the main religion is Islam. PA (Fides Service 24/6/2003 EM lines 20 Words: 220)