Parish of Santa Cruz in Nampula city shelters over 2,500 war displaced people from Cabo Delgado – Ikweli

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Parish of Santa Cruz in Nampula city shelters over 2,500 war displaced people from Cabo Delgado – Ikweli

1:19 CAT | 18 Aug 2020

At least 2,614 people fleeing the terrorist attacks in the province of Cabo Delgado, in the north of the country, have resorted to the parish of Santa Cruz, in the city of Nampula, as a haven of safety and refuge.

The congregation of the Catholic church in Muahivire distributed the 400 families to other communities belonging to the parish, namely the host community (Santa Cruz), the community of São Paulo and the community of São João de Brito.

Since May, when the first victims began to arrive, believers have been striving to provide support including food, clothing and blankets.

According to Father Davide De Guidi, parish priest of Santa Cruz, “accommodating these persons has been very difficult, because frequently, over 200 people fleeing the war in Cabo Delgado arrive in our parish. What also makes things difficult is that we need to find shelter and food for them, as they arrive hungry and have nowhere to rest after a long walk. That is why we joined our efforts and gave them food products, such as cooking oil, corn flour, rice, among others. We also offer mats, blankets and clothing”.

The believers and other Catholic Church organisations have so far raised more than 700,000 meticais in support of the victims of the terrorist attacks in Cabo Delgado.

“What happens is that when people arrive, they enter the families of the believers, with no advance notice. However, because the residences are small and the number of members is over 15 people, there is a risk of contamination by the coronavirus, among other diseases. In fact, hunger begins to arise within families, which leads us to support them,” Father Guidi says.

Idps.santacruz — *Some of the displaced sheltered by the communities of Paroquia Santa Cruz*

De Guidi acknowledged, in an interview with Ikweli, that this situation constitutes a huge challenge, especially at a time when the world is going through one of its worst pandemics, but warns that one must not lose sight of support for the victims of the terrorist war, because, for him, this is precisely the moment when the government and society should not abandon people, and the situation to which they were subjected deserves compassion and prompt help.

The priest, from the Congregation of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus, understands that, in this moment of sadness, parishes must serve as a place of experience of God. Young people, for example, are experiencing a moment of fragility which could prompt them to other unworthy practices, especially women, who can take the path of marriage, not out of love, but because they seek a better standard of living.

“It is very important and primary,” he says, “that the government and the community welcome and give dignity to our brothers and sisters from Cabo Delgado. We are resurrected in Christ, and, if we make our brothers resurrect, we ourselves live. We live if we make our friends live, and we have a better future, if we also give the needy a future.” he says.

In another development, Father Davide De Guidi announced that, last Tuesday (11), a newborn boy only four months old, child of a female victim of the insurgency, lost his life.

The incident persuades Father De Guidi to appeal to government authorities and society in general for food, medical and medication assistance to the displaced, to avoid any further similar cases.

The gesture comforts the victims

Off the record, citizens driven from Cabo Delgado by the attacks expressed their satisfaction with the gesture that the population of Nampula is making, and above all, that of the believers of the parish of Santa Cruz, as well as the community leaders of the neighbourhoods of Muahivire and Muhala- Expansão, namely Muatala and Zona Residencial Militar.

“I received from the church a 25 kilogram bag of corn flour, a bar of soap, four blankets and an equal number of mats. For that, I am very grateful, because I did not imagine such a [gesture], since what we and our fellow citizens in Cabo Delgado are currently experiencing is pain. We spent days and nights running around looking for a place to rest. Many died. Houses were set on fire and other property destroyed,” said Abdala Juma Cha, a displaced youth from Mocímboa da Praia in Cabo Delgado.

By Esmeraldo Boquisse

Source: Jornal Ikweli