The chaplaincy of the Mahama Burundian refugee camp received a visit from the Lebanese Missionary group for Charity from the 15th to the 25th of August last year. The visit was part of a collaboration inside the Famvin Homeless Alliance but also among FHA ambassadors for the “13 Houses” Campaign.
The 17-strong team was led by Sister Diala Kassably, Daughter of Charity for the Middle Easter Province, and Rodolph Haddad, one the 14 FHA ambassadors. The visit respected fully the principles of systemic change, as everything was done with the poor and nothing without them.
In fact, in three days of good actions, we managed to make 2,130 bricks with the refugees. One day it was focused on football: visiting girls vs camp girls and visiting boys vs camp boys. Other day was focused on praying for the sick, during the adoration of the blessed sacrament, the anointing of the sick was administered to some people, as well as taking the time to listen to some sick people to finish with an eucharistic celebration. Other days there were retires for young people (choirs, catholic actions movements) and for married couples.
In the name of the Chaplaincy, myself, Father Henri Matsinga CM, express the gratitude to this team. It gave us the momentum to move forward, collaborating locally first and then internationally, as with the brick we have made we will build a multi-purpose hall for cultural activities for Mahama refugees. The Hall will be dedicated to the “13 Houses” Campaign. After the Lebanese missionaries left, the refugees decide freely to keep on working to build it. With the camp VMY and the Daughters of Charity, we will continue this work on the multi-purpose hall on the camp.
Moreover, the Vincentian Fathers, in collaboration with a team from Spain, has just built two five-rooms houses for two homeless family from Rwanda, in the southern province of the Ruhango District. These two houses are part of the “13 Houses” Campaign. Besides the two houses, we are also working on the opening of orphanage in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo.
With the meeting the Famvin Rwanda committee we hope, with God’s grace, that good plans will be made to shelter more homeless people.
Thank you to everybody who is with us on this Famvin Homeless Alliance.
Shall all the Vincentian Family Saints intercede for us the poor.
Father Henri Matsinga CM, FHA ambassador
FHA volunteer ambassadors Father Henri Matsinga CM (Rwanda) and Rodolph Haddad (Lebanon)