On Ash Wednesday 2024, for the Lenten season leading up to Easter, I asked for the grace to be closer to those who suffer, to those in need: the sick, the homeless, the voiceless, the poor who live in misery every day, to be more aware of this category of people whom God has placed in our paths.
It is with this in mind that we have decided, as a Daughters of the Holy Spirit community in Maroua, Cameroon, to direct our deprivations towards the most vulnerable, in accordance with the invitation of the Rule of Life: “Insofar as we allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit of Jesus, we ourselves enter into the new life received in Jesus Christ, and we become particularly sensitive to those who suffer, who are not recognised in their dignity, who are not loved; we become more open to the concern of the Church, which loves man and shares his concerns”. (R.V 1, 3)
At the end of Lent, Sisters Monique GABANA, Justine AMANI and myself, Marcelline ITETSHI, visited a group of internally displaced people living in Mora, in the Far North region, about 50 km from Maroua. These vulnerable people, following attacks by the Boko-Haram sect, have found refuge in a henhouse made available to them by a kind-hearted person. In these conditions, meeting basic needs is like a battle lost in advance… With our modest Lenten effort and the help of several other people sensitive to this situation, we brought joy, hope and the light of the Risen Lord to this group of 21 families, with a total of 164 displaced people of all ages, mostly children, women and the elderly. The kit offered to each family consisted of: 10 kg of millet, 3 kg of sugar, 1 kg of salt, 2 pieces of soap, 1 21-litre bucket and 1 bath towel.
It was a wonderful opportunity to visit their home, share and exchange love. However, the need is still enormous, because these people are living in such close quarters all the time, especially during the rainy season! With this small gesture, the delegation is once again calling on everyone’s generosity to support these families in extreme need. May the Risen Lord bless everyone’s gestures of charity.
Marcelline ITETSHI MAWESE, FSE, Community of Galdima-Maroua. Cameroon. Published on 22 April 2024
