Dear friends,
a neglected area, one that until now no one has truly looked at.
The name of a hospital — Nekemte — which we spoke for the first time last November in the presence of the President of the Republic, committing ourselves to being “with” these people, supported by his words:
“CUAMM has not given itself the easy excuse of being too small to change the world. Solidarity generates trust. It is an antidote to resignation and indifference.”
It is precisely from here that I write, from Nekemte. And from here I read about more than 150 young girls killed “by mistake” by American bombs on the first day of the war in Iran. So much innocent suffering! We would like to cry out that this cannot be, that in this way we are destroying the world — our future and that of those who will come after us.
At the same time, deep within, I feel that this cry of ours takes shape in our mission of leaving, in that “euntes curate infirmos” which has been the purest source of our commitment for 75 years. Some set out to bomb, others set out to heal. Some to kill, others to bring health and life. We are clear about which side we stand on: there is no louder voice than that of those who speak with their lives — their own — alongside the poorest.
In the town of Nekemte, in western Ethiopia, which serves an area of over 5 million people, a population of 400,000 has taken in 150,000 displaced persons. The town has a 250-bed hospital, a run-down overcrowded facility with countless mothers and children. The sick lie everywhere — on the ground, on cardboard, on broken beds and stretchers. Equipment is nonexistent or out of order, water and electricity are intermittent, and the staff are exhausted and demoralized.
Here, in recent days, we have symbolically laid the foundation stone for the reconstruction of the hospital. White and Black hands together, building the future. Dr. Abebè, the hospital director, told me with emotion:
“We have always been abandoned. The emergency department is unable to respond to the many urgent needs — we lack everything and we can’t go on like this. We have nearly 4,000 births a year. We do our best, but it is extremely hard, especially for the patients. Knowing that you are here with us gives us strength.”
Providence and many friends — like you reading my words — will help us rehabilitate the walls of the emergency department, the triage area and the outpatient clinics; to re-equip the facilities and laboratories; and to rebuild the trust of the many people who are waiting for us.
Leaving without moving is possible, all you need is to cultivate a generous and open heart. That is where our journey begins and where it encounters others. And so we move forward together, in our act of leaving and caring — against every war, so that life may prevail over death.
Thank you for being with us.
Father Dante Carraro – CUAMM Director General
