“We want to be together, to exchange ideas and try to find what we need to do for peace to return to our country, and to find out what, as the ATD Fourth World Movement, we can do to make this happen.” Around the world, people living in poverty show strength and resilience in the face of terrible odds. Today this is nowhere more true than in the Central African Republic, where the ATD Fourth World team in the capital city of Bangui lives alongside families in the midst of tremendous turmoil.Since last March, violence between religious communities has torn apart the Central African Republic; many outside observers have even begun to speak of genocide. More than half of the population of Bangui have fled their homes, the greatest number seeking refuge at the airport, where foreign soldiers and humanitarian aid are located.And yet what has been most striking to our team in Bangui has been the tremendous acts of solidarity and friendship that help to build peace and promise a brighter future for all.Neighbors loan clothing to one another so that they will not be easily recognized as Muslim or Christian by the violent mobs roaming the city.Strangers help one another cross the river to safety, putting their own lives at risk to save another.A young girl speaks to an angry crowd and saves the life of her aunt, hiding in the room next door.Our team is working now to run Street Libraries among children at the refugee camp, using the children’s artwork to decorate the emergency hospital built by Doctors Without Borders. They also support as many of the families they know as they possibly can. Shortly after the most recent string of violence began, friends of ATD Fourth World began to arrive at the team’s home in Bangui. As one woman told our Volunteers there: “In all the things that are happening in our country, we are not far from ATD Fourth World. Why? Because we know that if we want to live in peace, we need to be together, […]We need to exchange ideas and try to find what we need to do for peace to return to our country. We need to find out what, like the ATD Fourth World Movement, we can do to make this happen.”Through it all, the courageous acts of every day citizens give great hope for peace and a stable future.Click here to make a donation to support the work of the ATD Fourth World team in Bangui.Click here to learn more about the work of our team and the people of the CAR working for peace.---This post was originally sent out as part of our regular newsletter. If you would like to join our mailing list, you may do so here. |
