22nd Humanitarian Lebanon and Angola Mission, solidarity crossing oceans

Angola tries to recover losses, after the end of a civil war of almost three decades, and still suffers rather negative socioeconomic indicators, especially relative to children and adolescents. Data from the Angolan government itself show that approximately 2 million children were out of school in 2018. On its turn, the report of UNICEF – United Nations Children’s Fund, also of last year, informs that only 1% of Angolan children do not undergo deprivations, and three out of four children and adolescents under 18 of age suffer between three and seven deprivations at the same time.

The situation could be worse if there were not non-governmental not-for profit institutions working in the African country to alleviate sufferings and decrease inequalities, such as the Santa Isabel Charity Work for Children (SICWC), which received help from the 22nd Humanitarian Lebanon and Angola Mission, organized by Fraternidade – International Humanitarian Missions (FIHM).

Founded in 2002 and administered by Sister Domingas, SICWC has as main focus the education of poor, orphan children in a risk situation, especially of the Cazenga and Viana communities, in the periphery of Luanda, the Angolan capital. Since its creation, it has attended more than 10,000 children in the orphanage, where today are 120 with up to 18 years of age; it has distributed scholarships to more than 14,000.

The entity also has adult literacy programs, besides projects directed to the population in a street situation and to women abandoned by their families and widows, among several others. During the 22nd Mission, the team of volunteers of Fraternidade carried out different works oriented to the children and adolescents who live in the Children’s House, the name of the orphanage: recreational activities, help in the crèche and in the classes of educational reinforcement, building maintenance and dental assistance, among the main actions.

Just as in Angola, the 22nd Mission also acted in orphanages in Lebanon, where it began this journey. In both countries, the main help was indeed the solidarity brought by the team, which crossed oceans and met the right public.