Nearly 100 orphaned children of Ebola have been taken care of. At the moment, Fr. Éric supports 25 orphans who have been welcomed into families.

He assured the food of these children and of the hosting families, for ten months. He also assures the schooling of the children. As we visited a few families, it is then Eric realized that it is often the single women who takes care of these children and that they have great difficulty to find food. There is no man to ensure the subsistence of the family. He asked himself how to continue to allow these children to have a stable home. In interviewing three of these children, we strongly felt this feeling of being abandoned and this request for help.

War and the virus have really put an end to education, which has fallen a long way behind, especially as the school assessment is completely distorted in order, not to discourage those who do not go to school. The educational level is terribly low.

Monday, December 20, we had participated in the semi-christmas feast of the school which is located just in front of the parish church. The courtyard of the school and the parish space are confused, because of the multitude children playing around the church and the presbytery. They all wear the uniform of the school. Their animation in the church was to anticipate Christmas, since the following day they are on holidays. Our stay in Foya was brief, but we discovered Eric in his work place and happy to be with the most abandoned. Even though many difficulties arise in front of him, he does not lower his arms, always with a smile on his lips, he has plenty of projects.

On the way to Sanniquellie

Our stay at Foya was short, we must go to Sanniquellie, city in the North East of Liberia and close enough to Danané in the Ivory Coast. We left Foya at 5 am in the cool of the night, the harmattan is present but I find it quite moderate. We swallow kilometers of trails and dust. The road looks same like the road of the 60 kilometers before Foya. The trails, in some places, resembles a field of potatoes after harvest but the clods are hard as pebbles. I have still more admiration for these missionaries who go about kilometers and go to meet these isolated communities. Here, only the big high-perched cars and motorcycles only can circulate because the holes are deep and the road in bad condition.

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We reached at Sanniquellie in the night around 9.30 pm. Fr. Eric left us at the bishop’s house at Gbarnga, where the driver of Sanniquellie parish was waiting to take us. Two young SMA’s were waiting for us with a good meal. They were newly appointed in this parish: Lawrence, a Ghanaian is the parish priest and Jean, an Ivorian, a young priest ordained on 18 June of this year, is the assistant. Fortunately, there is a good community of Franciscan(FMM) Sisters who surround them and take care of them. We have already taken advantage of this privilege.

We will spend Christmas at the parish, it will also be for us a break, even if we have one or two interviews to ensure.

There is a great comfort since we have electricity 24 hours a day, it is the only city of Liberia that receives electricity suppy from the Ivory Coast. This is in theory, but already today, December 24 no more current. It’s just to disturb the Christmas night that must be light for the world? We will do with it … We spent the evening in the city and tomorrow we will celebrate in the village on Christmas day.

Our confreres are aware that they are arriving in a region that has been very much touched by the war and by Ebola, in fact, the Guinean border is very close. We met a mom who lost eleven members of her family. As soon as there were deaths, they were confined to their homes, the dead in the house and the survivors in the yard. The fathers came to bring them water and food. This lady had lost her husband, who was executed during the war. With all these misfortunes, one does not feel at her bitterness or dejection, she expressed a very great gratitude to the Church which has not abandoned her.

Life has resumed here, its enough to see the number of children, the country’s future. But these two catastrophes left indelible marks in the hearts. For them “no future”. People do not invest in the future, the plantations have been abandoned thinking that, what is the point of working if another misfortune befalls the country. You have to have the money right away. Small trade holds an important place. This morning, saturday 24 december is a market day. I attended the long parade of taxi-motorcycles riding, in freewheel, the track in front of the mission. On average, they are three on the bike, plus the luggage hanging on each side, I saw one with five adults sitting on the same motorcycle, the driver stuck against his handlebars.

Many organizations, mostly American, have invested heavily but have not been able to involve the population in their actions. So now the country has turned into a begging country relying more on external aid than on domestic commitment. It is remarkable to see many NGO name boards flourishing at the entrance of the villages, but apart from these boards, i don’t know what remains?

Aside from smartphones and LEDs, I feel like I am forty years back when I discovered Africa for the first time. These crazy tracks, these overcrowded taxis, these small shops, all these images of today, I have them in my first African photos. The missionaries really have their place here to restore hope and put the man back on his feet and, above all, to divert them from the dream-merchants, the many small evangelical churches, which attract people by promising them fortune through prayer and gifts for Pastor.

The hope came from this fragile and defenseless little child, he saved the world, it is this message that we want to share with our fellow SMA’s and that I share with you a few hours before celebrating this beautiful feast of lights.

Gerard and Guvvala.