(ANS - Soddo) - "The children welcomed us with great joy and we were amazed at how many of them there were. We held their hands and they asked us to play or even just to stay with them. (...) What impressed us most was the ability of Ethiopian children to play with very few and very simple games." This is the testimony of a young Italian at the beginning of his service as a volunteer in the Salesian mission of Soddo in Ethiopia.

by Pietro Francipane

In our first week in Soddo we saw at first hand the beauty of being part of a very united group and the great ability to question and not take anything for granted. In this sense, Fr Fabrizio Di Loreto, the Salesian who accompanied us, was simply extraordinary in bringing out the best in each of us. The impact and the initial difficulties were overcome without problems with the help of the priest and the extraordinary generosity of the Salesian community.

We had a slight problem when two of us, Michael and Lawrence, began to experience some minor health problem, due to Ethiopian food and the significant presence of certain insects. Another difficult situation arose when we were without water for about four days. This caused some discomfort, especially to us who are accustomed to having running water all the time (and wasting it!). However, after several days of difficulty, we got used to the temporary water shortages and learned to manage the water containers better. We also came to understand how precious the right to water is, and also how much water we waste.

(...) The most surprising element, though not too surprising, is the great cohesion and unity of our group. Despite differences in age or character, and even though we come from different places, we are able to organize the different activities and to give a hand to anyone who might be experiencing physical or psychological difficulties.

Towards the end of the first week, we were invited (...) to participate in the Eucharist in the chapel of the prison in Soddo. After a quick and gentle check by the Ethiopian military, we came into contact with the prisoners. We might easily think of them as being marginalized or even bad. In reality what appears and transpires from the prison visit is that, through a process of repentance and their strong religious faith, these men admit they have made mistakes.

The full text of the testimony is available in Italian on the website of ICC, the Salesians in Central Italy.

Published 6/10/2015