When orphaned children fill villages, when populations of entire countries are threatened with famine, poverty and disease, indifference is not an option.

That is the bottom-line message of “A Call to Solidarity with Africa,” a document issued in 2001 by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Among those answering the challenge of that call are members of the Sacramento Diocese’s Black Catholic Council, which responded by creating the Africa Solidarity Initiative in January 2005.

“We committed ourselves to educating the diocese about Africa — promoting justice, peace and development through public advocacy,” said Charlene Harris, chairwoman of the Black Catholic Council.

To accomplish that goal, an 11-member delegation from the council, led by Harris, left in July on a 16-day tour of Nigeria and Ghana to identify collaborative projects that would link the diocese with African efforts to address poverty-related issues.

Ernest Uwazie, a professor of criminal justice at California State University, Sacramento, and a native of Nigeria, planned the itinerary and traveled with the delegation to Africa.

He said the two West African countries have significant Christian populations, and both face poverty issues devastating much of the continent today.

“Nigeria is the most populous of the African countries and reflects Africa’s diversity,” said Uwazie, a member of St. Joseph Parish in Elk Grove. “What you see in Nigeria, you see elsewhere to a larger degree.”

Harris, who had read volumes about the places and people she would be visiting, was not prepared for what she saw in Nigeria during a ride from the airport to Abuja, the country’s capital.

“There were rows and rows of mud houses with roofs made of tin, homes without running water. On a bus ride in a rural area we saw a young girl standing outside washing dishes in a can of water,” said Harris, who later saw similar images in Ghana. “The poverty was so pervasive.”

The delegation’s first immersion experience came during a visit to Bimishi Village, where they toured a government school and learned that one of the challenges school administrators faced was that there were only 18 desks for 254 students.

Uwazie, who was fortunate as a child in being able to attend his family’s parish school, St. Michael’s Elementary, said poverty in 2006 was “much more real.”

Children typically start their day at 5 a.m., often without breakfast, “walk to fetch water, go to school, clean their classrooms and may not eat until evening,” he said.

Harris said the diocesan delegation hopes that parishes and schools in the diocese might partner with schools like the one in Bimishi Village. “It could make a real difference in the lives of students,” she said.

The delegation also visited St. Mary’s Hospital, which is jointly owned by the Archdiocese of Abuja and the Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus missionary sisters.

The sisters are the religious order of Sister Rose Ereba, another member of the Black Catholic Council who traveled to Africa.

Sister Ereba said St. Mary’s, recognized as “one of the best hospitals in the area,” has special units for AIDS patients as well as a pediatric unit.

The hospital, working with limited resources, is currently seeking financial assistance to build a hospice wing and resource center which would provide job training skills for AIDS patients.

“It is an opportunity for solidarity,” Sister Ereba said.

Another highlight of the trip for the Catholic nun was a visit to her home in Bodo City and St. Patrick Parish where she attended Mass as a child.

While parishioners did not know that Sister Ereba was in the delegation, when the group arrived a few hours behind schedule, 500 people were standing outside waiting.

St. Patrick Parish, which currently does not have a school, is now planning to build one, starting with a nursery school facility. Among their needs is a method to transport children to school who live in remote areas.

A private audience with Peter Odili, governor of Rivers State in Nigeria, and his wife, Mary, proved to be one of the trip’s most inspirational experiences.

In comments made to the delegation, Mary Odili, who was instrumental in starting a Job Skills Acquisition Center for young women, spoke about the presence of extreme poverty and need to empower people.

“The governor and his wife were very passionate about issues that impact their country,” said Harris, adding that both are Catholic. “I had the genuine sense they want to do things that make a difference to the people of Nigeria.”

While in the Odumase-Krobo area of Ghana, the delegation spent time with members of the Manya-Krobo Queen Mother’s Association, a group of women who work with both government and private health organizations to provide AIDS health education and training.

In addition to implementing AIDS prevention, the Queen Mothers assist in supporting thousands of orphaned children with funds for food and education.

The women’s organization raises funds by making jewelry, soap, and other products.

“The Queen Mothers have done so much with so little and serve as both a model and a plea,” Harris said. “They mobilized themselves to fight back and must be seen as a plea to nations wealthier and healthier to give more generously.”

Harris said the delegation plans to present its report during a meeting in November with Bishop William K. Weigand and Auxiliary Bishop Richard J. Garcia.

The report will include a recommendation for diocesan parishes and schools to twin with their counterparts in Africa.

“I have seen the faces of a people of tremendous faith in the midst of grinding poverty,” Harris said. “There are ways to address poverty and one is not to give up hope.”

Uwazie, whose workplace is a university environment, is exploring possibilities for student-to-student exchange programs and opportunities for building partnerships between U.S. and African school systems.

As for Sister Ereba, it is her view that much of the response to “A Call to Solidarity with Africa” begins within the human heart.

“You start by appreciating the goodness in Africa first,” she said. “It’s about giving people respect as human beings.”

Copyright © 2006 Diocese of Sacramento - All Rights Reserved