We began our work in Tanzania in 1968. Since then, we have come a long way alongside local communities. An important recognition came in 1982, when the President of Tanzania, Julius Nyerere, received CUAMM doctors working in the country at the presidential palace.

CUAMM doctors provided aid in Rwanda after the atrocities of the genocide, one of the most tragic episodes in history. In less than 100 days, more than 500,000 people were killed. CUAMM doctors, already working in neighbouring Uganda, moved to Rwanda to provide assistance and support, especially to children.

CUAMM began its work in Angola, a country devastated by a long and brutal civil war, sending Dr Enzo Pisani as its first doctor. Since then, we have remained continuously present in the country, even during the most difficult times, such as the devastating Marburg epidemic in 2005.

Thanks to the funds raised and the support of the Catholic Church during the Great Jubilee of 2000, the St. Luke Hospital in Wolisso, Ethiopia, was renovated and inaugurated. Today, it serves a population of more than one million people.

Paediatrician Maria Bonino lost her life in Angola during the devastating Marburg epidemic, after contracting the virus while caring for young patients in Uíge.

CUAMM began its work in South Sudan at the hospital in Yirol, before the country gained independence from Sudan. In 2011, South Sudan became an independent nation, the world’s newest country. Sadly, in 2013 a civil war broke out, along with internal ethnic conflicts that continue to this day.

In Beira, Mozambique, the first 13 doctors graduated from the Catholic University, thanks also to the support of CUAMM, which backed the Faculty of Medicine and sent teaching staff. A major achievement for the country and for the future of many young people, who can now study medicine outside the capital, Maputo.

After 53 years leading the College and the NGO, CUAMM’s historic director, Father Luigi Mazzucato, handed over the leadership to Father Dante Carraro.

In recent years, new interventions have been launched in three countries: in Sierra Leone (2012), starting from the hospital in Pujehun; in the Central African Republic, where since 2018 we have been working in the paediatric complex of the capital and later also in rural areas; and finally in Ivory Coast, the latest country opened, in 2023.

Our commitment continues alongside African healthcare professionals and communities, to build stronger, fairer and more accessible health systems for all. A journey that continues every day, in Africa and with Africa.