On the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of Sant'Egidio, a big feast was held for the visit of Cristina Marazzi to the Communities of Maputo, Beira and Nampula - in the South, Center and North of the country. Within a week, an increasing number of meetings with the poorest friend - elderly, children of the Schools of Peace, street children, prisoners, who are "the treasure of the Community” - in the many places where Sant'Egidio means humanization, rights, healing. Like the prison of Nampula, which this year, thanks to a collection made by all the communities in the world, has been provided with a sewerage system and a new larger water tank providing prisoners with running water from new sinks. Major works improving the hygiene and health of prisoners. Cristina Marazzi has also visited the Free Registration Centers of the Bravo! Program which, only in Mozambique, gave a name to more than 160,000 children. In the city of Nampula, where the Program started, so many mothers eventually had the opportunity to register their children thanks to the ongoing schools campaign, which allows children up to 13 years to be registered. The campaign is also reaching the remote corners of the country, thanks to the commitment of the campaigners who enhance and inform families in the most peripheral areas on the importance of civil registration: the first of all civil rights and the foundation of a democratic state. Particularly moving was the encounter with women while registering newborn: an eloquent sign of the love that Sant'Egidio feels for Mozambique.
The very same love which has been better appreciated during the beautiful Assemblies with the Mozambican Communities: a chance to better understand the friendship of Sant'Egidio with Mozambique, especially on its 50th anniversary. Moving from the first visit of Andrea Riccardi, Cristina Marazzi and Matteo Zuppi - the year was 1984, a difficult time for the country - to the Peace Process and current commitments, including not only the DREAM and Bravo! programs and the great effort in facing different situations of poverty, but also, as the Youth for Peace have witnessed, the human development of the young generations experiencing the joy of a life spent for the others and keeping the fondest and enthusiastic dream to make peace grow to change the world.
From the North to the South of Mozambique, all these meetings gave the opportunity to many - young and not - to renew their YES to the Spirit that is blowing in the Community and to open up to the many challenges rising from their cities.
