A child is one of life’s greatest gifts. Each time a child is born, it is a gift for the family, the clan and the village. It means continuity for society – here is tomorrow’s adult. But the child’s future depends so much on what he/she receives in infancy.
A CHILD IN THE
A child is one of life’s greatest gifts. Each time a child is born, it is a gift for the family, the clan and the village. It means continuity for society – here is tomorrow’s adult. But the child’s future depends so much on what he/she receives in infancy. The body and the environment are in constant interaction, which are important to stimulate certain functions.
For some decades now, we have witnessed on one hand the precarious conditions of life which the Congolese people have endured: conditions which cry out to the heavens, and on the other, we have seen their anxiety regarding their future. The population is always seeking ways and means to answer even the most basic needs. Unfortunately, they are disadvantaged and exploited by certain of their systems and traditions, such as ignorance, customs and superstition, unemployment, illiteracy, social and economic exclusion, and the phenomenon of “street children”. These are the poorest, since they depend totally on others.
The persistence of these precarious conditions of life and the lack of adequate solutions on the part of those responsible for alleviating such situations of abject misery have taught the Congolese to develop strategies for survival, throwing themselves into all kinds of income-generating activities, such as bartering, or becoming travelling vendors.
Because of this, many children do not go to school, because they have to go and sell something in order to help the family to survive. Some manage to go to school, but then cannot give any time to study; some are turned away from school, because there is no-one to pay for their studies. There are also children who feel obliged to sell something or to do odd jobs in order to earn a little money to buy what they need for school and pay the fees that are asked of them. These children cover great distances, carrying on their heads burdens that are much too heavy for their age.
This state of affairs creates very serious problems regarding the future of these children. They are exposed to great risks: death, stunted growth, immorality, various illnesses, inclement weather etc.
The Congolese child lives certain frustrations which come on the one hand from the gap between what he/she desires, and the lack of means to achieve them, and on the other hand from the great pressures exerted on him/her by parents or society in general.
In spite of everything, we are sure that it is God’s providence that keeps us alive. Even in the midst of poverty and crisis, God continues to work wonders, as in the case of this little girl, born of a mother suffering from tuberculosis, yet bursting with joy and good health.
In the face of this reality, and in spite of our powerlessness, we Holy Family Sisters try to commit ourselves seriously to activities which will help the children, who represent the hope of tomorrow. We want to contribute in such a way that they will be freed from all that can compromise their future.
Srs. Of the Holy Family of Bordeaux at the service of youth and children.
Sr. Claudine GAYONGO