After Mass one Sunday in Lent, Sisters Agnes, Celina, Emmily and Ancila, left for Pambila, a reception centre 15 km. from Ouagadougou, for young women in difficulty, pregnant, mothers, or fleeing from home. The centre is run by a Protestant pastor and our young postulants have sometimes gone there for their apostolate. For weeks we had prepared the meeting with these young women. We had collected bottles and magazines and found pictures to stick on the bottles. Sr. Leticia had lent us brushes.
The girls were very happy and received us with joy. We had prepared some food from our Lenten fast to share with them: rice and fruits and we added some peanuts that we had received.
We started our meeting by learning new songs, and together we sang and danced. Then, divided into groups, we colored mandalas. They took time to do it, they were very concentrated and at the end we admired their work. They were proud of it. During this time, Sr. Agnes kept the small children busy.
Then each one decorated one or more bottles. After a rest, the girls performed dances from their cultures. Some of them shared the reason why they came to the centre: one because of a forced marriage, another because of an unwanted pregnancy. They feel sad because their parents have abandoned them. We encouraged them and assured them of our prayer.
Before leaving, a girl from the centre, a Beninese national, gave us a drawing with a thanksgiving message. At the end they asked for a souvenir photo. Sr. Celina would like to return and we have already arranged another Sunday for a workshop and a meeting with them.
St Julien community, Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)
