Sant'Egidio is at the heart of the problems of a growing Africa but, above all, of the great expectations of the poor, the young, and a future of peace.
In the last days of April, Andrea Riccardi's visit to Côte d'Ivoire addressed these issues together with the problem of a complex society, which is experiencing the challenge of living together in a time of significant change. It is the Africa of strong economic growth and, simultaneously, of the many who remain excluded. An instance is the street children for whom Sant'Egidio has begun to offer places of protection and refuge. In fact, Andrea Riccardi visited first the Maison du Rêve (dream house) in Yopougon, which is a large neighborhood in Abidjan. A home where adolescents and young people have found themselves after family and life difficulties or living on the streets. They did not only find a night shelter, but also the possibility of resuming their studies, and, the older ones were even able to continue their job training.
Places of peace that allow people to transform and, for some individuals, even reconcile with their families and return home thanks to the help of the older friends in the Community.
The difficulties and "wounds" of life, especially in an increasingly competitive society that marginalizes those who do not succeed, emerged in the visit that was made to the Bingerville Psychiatric Hospital. In this place, there are more and more young people, including adults, who cannot make it to continue their studies or enter the job market, which has selective rules.
Africa is growing, especially the Côte d'Ivoire. This nation is scrutinized by all the other Francophone countries of West Africa because it is traversed by affluence. However, this wealth is failing to reach so many, and the nation must also come to terms with the great tide of juveniles that makes up its population. This theme was even addressed in the large assembly that was held in the Community House, which is located in the Treichville neighborhood. Moreover, this meeting was reached for the occasion not only by the communities present in the city of Abidjan but also from the interior of the country.
People talked with Andrea Riccardi about a Gospel that calls us to be free from the different slavery, which runs through the Ivorian society, and that invites us to humanize it. It is a work of the hearts that involves all generations that are part of the community, including many adults. Moreover, this is aimed at young people who are seeking direction in life, with a special focus on the poor. These range from street children to those living in the large slums with the Peace Schools and the elderly, who are increasingly on the margins and poor due to a pension system that affects a part of the population. The need to promote everywhere the dignity and greater inclusion of women, who are still subjected to violence and exclusion, is fundamental. The work for the humanization of society succeeds in providing a future to all and, in particular, to numerous African young people who continue to feed the myth of emigration, which has already counted multiple victims in the desert and the Mediterranean Sea.
