(ANS - Soddo) - Sunday is a special day at the Salesian Youth Centre in Soddo, Ethiopia. Not only are there the usual festivities but energy biscuits are also distributed to all present. "I had some idea of ​​how many young people come to the centre but what I saw on Sunday was totally unexpected!" says Tommaso Marchesi, a volunteer in Ethiopia.

I arrived at the youth centre before the gates were opened, so I headed to the entrance to see how many young people were waiting outside. When I saw hundreds of them waiting anxiously to get in, I just could not believe it, and as soon as the gates were opened ... bedlam! This horde of children began to run to be first in line to play foosball, or have the first place at the table tennis table ... but what stood out above all was their happiness and joy, something that is not seen every day.

The activities proceeded normally. It could have been just a normal day at the oratory, but with twice the number of young people. It was at the end that the biscuits were distributed. Although I was prepared for the event, I still had not realized how important it was for the whole community.

However, I still had a doubt.  How could they distribute biscuits equitably to more than 500 young people, sometimes more than 600? Here's how: after the Our Father the leaders got them all into more or less orderly lines. It was practically impossible to keep the young people calm. After they had got them all into three lines, the biscuit boxes arrived. It was amazing, you could almost sense the expectation that these young people felt!

Then, finally, the distribution began. It was hectic, fast and immediate and was all over in a matter of minutes. But the beauty of the smiles of those young people as they received a packet of biscuits was definitely worth the price of the ticket to Ethiopia.

Published 02/07/2015