MALINDI IS A CITY LOCATED 120 KM FROM MOMBASA (KENYA).
With its salt pans, unpaid workers and growing Chinese population, it is booming. Today it has 18 parishes with 38 priests including 14 diocesan, 2 Fidei Donum, 64 Sisters, 22 Religious and 11 seminarians.
Located on the Indian Ocean coast, Malindi is heavily affected by human trafficking, a new form of slavery. Also, our primary conviction is that education is an important factor in eradicating this phenomenon, and in supporting victims. Admittedly, microfinance projects already contribute to raising the standard of living of this population, but a global approach is also necessary to achieve this goal. The Catholic Church and the other religions have undertaken to collaborate in this, in particular through the Centre: “Pope Francis Rescue Center”, which already exists in Malindi.
THE MOTTO OF THE RESCUE CENTER IS: “TO LOVE AND SERVE”.
Officially opened on July 21, 2015, its vision is to “Build a society where all children live in dignity, and whose rights are protected. He wants to collaborate in the same mission, with the churches, the government and the other benefactors.
Today, we are three Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa sent to the Malindi community: Sister Margarita, nurse, Sister Redempta, counsellor, and I, Sister Maggi, who works on the awareness program against human trafficking and its consequences.
Concretely, our mission is to find ways to help men, women and children, victims of sexual assault, regardless of their race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, to bring them to fight and take charge of their lives. The young people who come to the Center often have personal stories, great suffering and traumatic experiences of sexual assault. The home is a shelter for some three months, and sometimes longer, to begin their healing. They benefit from intensive preparation to reintegrate into society outside the centre. Then, they are followed for a year, and helped in their education. We would like young people to be able to return to their families. Last month, 300 child victims of sexual assault came to the Children’s Department. From now on, they can be addressed to a Help Center like that of
“Pope Francis Rescue Home. “We have excellent relationships with district hospitals, administration, churches of other faiths and religious organizations. It is important to collaborate with everyone, in order to be able to offer these young people a new life.
The Bishop of Malindi, Msgr. Emmanuel Barbara, hopes that this project will succeed, as he is increasingly aware of the real situation in the city. He considers, like Pope Francis, that this violence perpetrated is a “crime against humanity” and wishes to find solutions.
The orientation of this center is based on the social teaching of the Church. Thus, for us MSOLA, we are committed at different levels, to see, judge and act, in order to ensure the dignity of the human person.
We want to open our tents, to look at the world with new eyes and new hearts. Be lights for all, especially for victims of human trafficking or forced labor.
Let us remember the words of our founder, Cardinal Lavigerie, “I am a man, and nothing that is human is foreign to me. »
Sr. Maggi Kennedy
