Beacon of Hope for the Poorest
Father Stefan is determined not to abandon Conakry’s street children to their fates and to help them find ways to lead lives worth living.
This is not the first project of this kind for Father Stefan:
As early as 1969, he got involved in Mauretania’s capital Nouakchott, which is situated in the Sahel zone and constantly plagued by hunger catastrophes. For more than 20 years, he succeeded in alleviating a lot of squalor there, and he managed to provide a lot of street children not only with homes for survival, but also with care, love, and the chance for a professional training.
Upon meeting the Bishop of Conakry in Guinea, Father Stefan was told that there were even more street children there. So, in 1992, Father Stefan decided to start a second project to help Conakry’s street children. His aim is to “give back to these harmed little children, who have experienced violent and dramatic blows of fate, a joyful and hopeful future.”
“Not even in my dreams would I have imagined that I could live so happily“, says Amadou, whose life had consisted of hard labor and physical abuse until then. “Death would be best for you”, his mother had declared.
It is upsetting to see which physical and emotional hardships these children have gone through. They have lost their zests for life. Sometimes they open up only after some weeks after they have been taken in by Father Stefan, and then a first smile is brightening up their faces. For Father Stefan, this is the greatest reward for his work: ”When a child can smile again, like all the other children in the world, then that’s my gratification!” |
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School attendance,
apprenticeships and jobs
It is particularly for the work of committed teachers, educators and helpers in the region that more than 800 children can be supported in Conakry.
It is particularly for the work of committed teachers, educators and helpers in the region that more than 800 children can be supported in Conakry.
In some regions, children whose mothers die during childbirth are regarded as harbingers of the devil and bad luck. They are blamed for their mother’s deaths. So they are abandoned or buried alive together with their mothers. The home in Gouecke has already taken in a lot of these children. Presently, there are 35 infants and toddlers in our orphanage. When growing up, they should be able to attend school and to train for jobs just like the other children.
The boys are presently accommodated in 7 houses. A home has been opened up for girls as well. There they live in small and manageable groups with names like “gazelles,” “lions,” “tigers” or “panthers”. To some extent, these groups should make up for the children’s loss of family bonds and provide them with a feeling of security as well as with a chance to set up an existence of their own.
Until the children can be reintegrated in their families, they experience an almost normal family life in the shelter home. They attend school, clean their rooms and play soccer. In the April of 2007, 350 children were living in the 8 homes. Many of them can be reconciled with their families after 2 or 3 years. The others remain with us. They may attend school until they have received their highschool diplomas, and consequently they attend the vocational school for professional training. Many of the children have already graduated from high school, or they have completed their training as masons, carpenters, locksmiths, electricians or cooks. Some have even had the chance to go to university.
From his first wage of 50 euros as a factory worker, Kemo gave 15 euros to his sick old mother and 15 euros to the shelter home.
Fode finished his three-year training as electrician. He is carving and selling sculptures in his free time.
Overview of the 8 houses (2007)
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The masterpiece
Dauda arbeitet seit 12 Jahren bei einem Schweißermeister, der ihn weder bezahlt noch Nahrung gibt. Den Transport zur Arbeitsstätte muss er aus eigenen Mittel finanzieren. Viele junge Leute werden von ihren Arbeitgebern ausgenutzt und ausgebeutet. Die italienische Kirche (FOGUIRED) hilft uns, jungen Leuten eine Ausbildung zu ermöglichen und einen eigenen Betrieb aufzubauen.
"Wie können wir unseren Dank zum Ausdruck bringen, für die Freunde die uns helfen all diese Projekte zu finanzieren? Nur Gott kann es vergelten!"
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Two health posts
Mariama lebte auf dem Bürgersteig, ohne Familie. Sie litt unter Asthma und Epilepsie.
Kadiatou ist wegen eines Angriffes von Rebellen aus ihrem Dorf geflohen, sie war schwanger und ging mehr als 200 Kilometer zu Fuß um nach Conakry zu kommen. Unterwegs gebar sie ihr Kind. Vor der Tür von Pater Stefan brach sie zusammen und entging nur knapp dem Tode. Wir ließen sie operieren, pflegten sie gesund und entließen sie mit einem Sack Zement zum Wiederaufbau ihres Hauses.
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Social help for women
Unser Büro für Sozialhilfe sorgt für Frauen, die durch große Armut ihre Selbstachtung verloren. Unser Ziel ist es ihnen diese wieder zu vermitteln. Wir geben ihnen ein Existenzminimum, damit sie und ihre Kinder überleben können. Wir spenden Kleidung und Dinge, die sie verkaufen können, damit sie selbst in der Lage sind für ihren Lebensunterhalt zu sorgen . Für den Aufbau eines Handels oder einer anderen selbständigen Tätigkeit geben wir ein Starthilfekapital.
Seit dem Jahre 2001 haben wir mehr als 800 Frauen geholfen. Mehr als 500 davon benötigen heute unsere Hilfe nicht mehr. Sie besuchen uns nur noch, um ihren Dank an die Wohltäter weiterzugeben.
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