Through practical support and respect for their dignity, the Church in Nouakchott is showing the face of Christ to migrants. In a context where the Gospel can essentially only be proclaimed through action, the Church in Mauritania, supported by ACN, reawakens the hope of those who thought they were forgotten.
“Originally, I was ashamed of going to the Accueil-Écoute centre to receive food because I was afraid that people would refuse me and treat me as a beggar. Finally, I had the courage to go, and I was surprised at the warm welcome I received.” Such is the testimony of Arlette, originally from Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). Today she feels a part of the family at the centre, where she has found support and dignity. For most of the migrants, Mauritania is no more than a staging post for reaching Europe at the risk of their lives.
In a Muslim Mauritania, the Church is discreet and works especially through social mission. It is one of the few credible institutions that migrants, Christians and Muslims alike, can turn to. The Accueil-Écoute centre of St Joseph’s parish in Nouakchott is an indispensable support for many people in very vulnerable situations. Supported by the international pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), it offers assistance to migrants who often have no other means of help, notably isolated women, families in difficulty and sick children.
According to Franck Paulin, who heads ACN’s projects in North and West Africa, the Catholic Church in Mauritania is itself made up exclusively of foreigners, both the clergy and laity, who have come to the country for a variety of reasons. It is therefore even more sensitive to the needs of migrants, whether they be moral, religious or material, but is also very open and attentive to the country’s poor.
Franck Paulin explains just how dramatic the question of migration in Mauritania is: “Each month, bodies are found on the beach: people who have tried to reach Las Palmas, in the Canary Islands, to get into Europe. They are victims of the coercive measures taken by the international community against the movement of migrants and the pressure of those around them to make every effort to become rich abroad and so become a support for the family.”
Paulin highlights the importance of the Catholic Church’s role though the activities of the Accueil-Écoute centre: “It’s a harbour where everyone is welcomed in the name of Christ through caring and loving gestures in a context of systematic misery. The centre is also seeking to empower migrants to return to their country, in time, with their heads held high.”
Led by Sr Marie-Ange Ndayishimiye, Accueil-Écoute operates with a limited but devoted team: two religious and a lay person who welcome, listen, accompany and help the migrants irrespective of faith or origin. The centre offers support which is adapted to the needs of each person: food parcels, medical help, timely rent payments, career guidance, or support with administrative processes.
Among the many people who have received help is Pauline, an eleven-year-old girl who was suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis. “I had difficulty breathing and I was losing a lot of weight. Fortunately, Accueil-Écoute helped me. They managed to get me to a hospital and to get all the necessary tests. I got some medicine and today I’m feeling better. I can go back to school.”
Alongside emergency relief, the centre has long-term projects: women’s literacy, distribution of milk for children and helping bereaved families. Several projects support the reintegration of repatriated people by helping them to launch a business.
Despite the limited resources, the team continues to respond to many demands. The support of ACN – which was originally founded to help displaced people – is essential to allow the centre to continue to be this discreet but decisive presence for those who have nowhere else to go. “Without help from outside, our Church at the heart of an Islamic republic would not be able to carry out such actions which make visible the presence of Christ here,” explains Mgr. Victor Ndione, Bishop of Nouakchott.
“On behalf of the team at Accueil-Écoute, I want to say a big thank you. Your gifts are helping many migrants who have difficulty finding something to eat or obtaining medical care and somewhere to stay. May God reward you abundantly,” writes Sr Marie-Ange to ACN.
By Sina Hartert.
