On the occasion of missionary October which will culminate with the World Missionary Day on Sunday 19 October, on Missionary center of the Capuchin Friars Minor of Milan welcomed a particular appeal from the brothers who work in Cameroonan African country where for about ten years the north-western and south-western regions have been torn apart by an internal conflict: there is an urgent need for medicines for HIV patients.
The war here has brought extreme poverty and the struggle for survival, between endemic poverty and lack of work due to the conflict, is the cause of moral decadence. This situation has incalculable negative effects, including the spread of AIDS but at the same time the inability to pay for expensive treatments. The recent decisions of some governments on the suspension of aid for medicines given through the USAID organization are therefore fatal.
In Cameroon, the Capuchin missionaries are present above all in the English-speaking regions, the heart of the conflict, but gradually they also reach the French-speaking part of the country, where displaced people seek refuge.
«We cannot remain helpless to see children born with AIDS die before our eyes without doing anything and to see young and old people die who cannot afford to buy medicines or have access to psychosocial support», explain the Capuchin Missionaries, «instead we want to react and are looking for benefactors who will help us support these victims…Knowing that drugs to combat AIDS are very expensive and which, at times, must be assumed by all members of the family, and knowing that this generates nutritional, financial and social problems, we Capuchins have taken on the responsibility of seeking help by making this reality known to potential donors”. In Cameroon, they continue, «beyond the conditions generated by hostilities, it can be very difficult, even for those who have a job, to afford to purchase medicines. In any case, the poor health conditions of AIDS patients, often characterized by extreme physical weakness, do not allow them to work. AbWe have calculated that we would like to help a hundred people by guaranteeing aid for two years, hoping that the situation will then improve. Everything will be managed in collaboration with the Milan Centre. The total estimated cost is 21,600 euros.”
Number of aid recipients, by village: Mbohtong:15; Su: 10; Emmaus: 2; Bayon: 15; Buea: 10; Bamenda: 20 Shisong (due to some hospitalized cases): 28.
