Support for the displaced

On 18 December, some members of the Focolare Movement went for the fourth time to support displaced persons in the Kanyarushinya #IDPs camp in Nyiragongo territory, located 10 kilometres north of Goma, the capital of North Kivu. Thanks to the support of several focolare communities from all parts of Africa (Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, Ivory Coast, Togo, Burkinafaso, Benin) they were able to give displaced families the 250 packets containing rice, beans, salt, laundry soap and matches. Of these packages, he had 180 special packages of hygiene kits for pregnant women and young girls and women of childbearing age to enable them to maintain their dignity in conditions of displacement.

On the spot, they found members of the movement who fled their village because of clashes between the March 23 movement (M23) and the Congolese army (FARDC). The joy of being together and the support received was a relief to the suffering that the displaced people in the camp experience from day to day. On that same day, for the young people there was a spiritual program next to it to strengthen unity among all.

One of the beneficiaries, Dieudonné, says: “We are in this camp, we manage as best we can to find what to eat. And often we receive help from people of good will like members of the Focolare and others who had brought us a few glasses of rice and soap to do laundry. There are many of us and we don’t give to everyone, but we all get help from many parties. And, we cultivate this spirit of sharing between us. I say a big thank you to those who have just made this great gesture of help, may God continue to bless you and intensify this love that you have for us, we already feel like family because we no longer feel neglected”.