Opeka, Pedro, C.M.

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Vincentiana Volume 48 Number 2 Vol. 48, No. 2 Article 8 3-2004 The Little Girl in Rags and Pope John Paul: The Start of an Adventure on the “Great Island”; the Poor Get Back on Their Feet Pedro Opeka C.M. Follow this and additional works at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vincentiana  Part of the Catholic Studies Commons, Comparative Methodologies and Theories Commons, History of Christianity Commons, Liturgy and Worship Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Opeka, Pedro C.M. (2004) "The Little Girl in Rags and Pope John Paul: The Start of an Adventure on the “Great Island”; the Poor Get Back on Their Feet," Vincentiana: Vol. 48 : No. 2 , Article 8. Available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vincentiana/vol48/iss2/8 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Vincentian Journals and Publications at Via Sapientiae. It has been accepted for inclusion in Vincentiana by an authorized editor of Via Sapientiae. For more information, please contact digitalservices@depaul.edu. The Little Girl in Ragsand Pope John PaulThe Start of an Adventure on the “Great Island”;the Poor Get Back on Their Feetby Pedro Opeka, C.M.Province of MadagascarI am delighted to accede to your request to write something onAkamasoa which, in Madagascar, struggles against poverty in thispart of the world.After 15 years of missionary activity in Vagaindrano, in thesoutheast of Madagascar, facing the Indian Ocean, I was, at the endof 1988, put in charge of the young Vincentian scholastics atAntananarivo. There I discovered the unheard of poverty in whichthousands of families and children lived in the capital of the “GreatIsland.” I saw these families in the street without a thing to theirname. Certain families had been driven back from the city centre,transported like cattle in lorries and abandoned on the hills ofAmbohimahitsy and Andralanitra, in a totally deprived state withnobody bringing them even the slightest aid that they might at leastsurvive there! So, their misery was well hidden so that it might betotally ignored.I am the son of emigrant parents. My parents fled the totalitarianregime of Slovenia in order to emigrate to Argentina. The memoriesof our family life were brutally brought back to mind. We had liveda very hard life; but one in which hope for a better future was alwayspresent. Certainly, the conditions of life and work had been verydifficult. So, could such a hope be possible for the poor ofAntananarivo? I was constantly asking myself what I could do to givesuch hope to the families in order that they themselves might find away out of their poverty.From 29 April to 2 May 1989, Pope John Paul II visitedMadagascar. One day, I was in the midst of thousands of youngpeople who had come to see the Holy Father. During the course ofthis ceremony, a little girl in rags, who was carrying her little brotheron her back, went up to the podium. No one knew how she hadVincentiana, novembre-décembre 2005VINCENTIANA 6-2005 - FRANCESE November 23, 2005 − 1ª BOZZAmanaged to get near the Pope, evading the police guard. The Poperesponded by taking her in his arms and giving her a big hug. It wasas if the Pope were embracing all the misery of the world. This littlegirl had certainly found the comforting tenderness for which she washoping. The gesture bowled me over. It was a renewed call fromJesus. This was an irresistible challenge. Both my heart and myreason spoke to me: “Now, you have to do something to improve thesuffering of human poverty, the misery of this little girl and of somany others!”The life of St. Vincent, our founder, inspired me once again.After years of maturing, St. Vincent himself found his true treasurein the life of Jesus Christ, who divested himself of everything in orderto become our brother, taking on himself our frail and sinful humancondition in order to give us the dignity of the children of God. Jesus,the “One Sent,” came to live on our earth to announce to the poor theGood News of their deliverance, to proclaim liberty to captives andnew sight to the blind. This example of Jesus, who took on this hopewith a a radical fidelity even unto death, inspired St. Vincent’s life.Three hundred fifty years later, the example of St. Vincent is stillhugely relevant and is a guide for so many people of good will in theworld. St. Vincent was a practical man, a man with his feet on theground. He was constantly going about visiting the poor, to bringthem material help and to bring them the comfort of a hope that islived in Jesus. As a son of St. Vincent, my priestly commitment isthus reaffirmed in committing my life to the poor of Antananarivo,while I was called there as educator and formator.On 29 May 1989, I visited some families. I had to crawl in orderto get into the little shelter made of boxes and bits of rusty metalwhich served them as “lodging.” The unsanitary condition of theseshelters was incredible and I saw children living in dirt that isimpossible to imagine without seeing it. In the course of thefollowing days, I went to visit other families living on the hill ofAmbohimahitsy in the district of Ambohimangakely. It was alwaysthe same sight of overwhelming filth, sickness and unrelentinghunger. I knew families, with sometimes as many as seven children,torn apart and broken up: the father having abandoned the motherand children; the mother having to prostitute herself; the childrenstealing what little they could from the rubbish in the public dumpsand both adults and adolescents sinking into alcohol and drugs. Theviolence, which dominated everything, was terrifying. At thebeginning of our meetings, the families were fearful and distrustful. Itook time to listen to them. Little by little, we built up trust amongus. I promised to do all I could in order that they might be able to getthemselves out of this inhuman and revolting way of life in order, bytheir own work, to live a normal life.91The Little Girl in Rags and Pope John PaulVINCENTIANA 6-2005 - FRANCESE November 23, 2005 − 1ª BOZZAWhat could be done to bring some initial urgent help to thesepeople: care for the sick and food aid? How could one do away withthis mountain of misery, which is totally unacceptable as a conditionfor human beings? How could one give back a life in society to thesepeople, overwhelmed by despair and surviving under such violentconditions? I had nothing in my pocket to help them and aid them intheir distress.I went begging among the religious communities of Antana-narivo who gave me a little money and gifts in kind. I quicklyunderstood that, alone, I could do nothing. Happily, I knew someMalagasy youths, who were students at the university. I went to seethem and suggested that they reach out to the poorest. Theyaccepted. They responded to God’s call: they had the desire tocome to the aid of their compatriots, who were the most deprivedand excluded from society in their country. But they did not knowwhat to do. Their response was both great comfort and greatencouragement for me. I have always read the gospel and I know thatpoverty is not fatal. Together, here, we would undertake to fight it.Thus it was that in January 1990, the Akamasoa Association (thename means “good friends”) was created. This non-governmentalorganisation (NGO), with its humanitarian aims, was necessary inorder to facilitate our relationships with government authorities,various organisations of Malagasy civil society, the foreign embassiesand other worldwide humanitarian organisations.Our first action was to organise a welcome in Antolojanahary forthe first families coming from the streets and the public dump of thecapital. It was the first village that we created, 60 kilometresnorthwest of Antananarivo, on the road to Mahajanga, and wherethere are currently 70 families living by their work on the land. Wethen created four other villages in the suburbs of the capital andwe are working in two other regions of the province of Fianarantsoa,400 kilometres south of Antananarivo, as well as at Vaingaindrano,800 kilometres from the capital. In the five villages in Antananarivo,there are 15,560 people (2,926 families), including 8,409 childrenwho are educated from primary school through secondary schoolexaminations. Poverty in Antananarivo is still enormous and, in 2003,we brought immediate and urgent aid (food, health-care and tools) tomore than 20,000 people. We built 1,544 brick dwellings and we stillhave to build a further 426 in order to replace temporary woodenbuildings. The association pays 3,419 people who work in our centresfor occupational training. One hundred eighty-nine teachers conductthe school. Thirty-three people (doctors, nurses, midwives, andnurse’s aids) furnish our health services. We also have 29 socialworkers. Finally, seven people manage the overall activities ofAkamasoa.92 P. OpekaVINCENTIANA 6-2005 - FRANCESE November 23, 2005 − 1ª BOZZAAbove, Bemasoandro (Madagascar), with a primary school.The Little Girl in Rags and Pope John Paul 93From the very beginning, we tirelessly followed the sameobjectives: the physical, psychological and moral rehabilitation ofpeople whose life on the margins had dehumanised them; access towork in order to be able to gain a decent wage; to have a “home ofone’s own” worthy of human beings in order that the family mightflourish; the education of the children (the majority of their parentshave had no schooling); civic instruction in order to build up a morehumane society and Christian instruction in order to value the gift oflife given by God.I cannot say that this work is easy. The truth is that it is hardbecause it is filled with daily difficulties. After 14 years, I havelearned a lot. The collaborators who surround me and who dedicatethemselves to this work with courage and faith have also gainedgreater experience. We learned that that the most impoverished arealso broken physically, psychologically and morally and that they nolonger know how to live in a human society that is based on respectfor oneself and others. It takes limitless patience in order to help aperson who has suffered so much to live again, especially when hehas reached the point of losing confidence and hope that he can ever“live like others.” It takes a lot of time for these people to be able tostand on their own two feet and begin to walk again. It requirespersonal contact in order to convince them that they have to take thefirst steps themselves, through work and discipline. At times, one hasto fight with them in order to calm spirits that are stirred up byalcohol. There are many slips: no one can be forgotten or neglected;so, one has to renew the dialogue. One cannot change the behaviourof another; each person must do it for and by him/herself. Sometimesdisillusionment threatens us; but one must not give in to it. Firstly,because we are filled with joy and encouragement to see that, little bylittle, so many thousands of people have found new life, forthemselves and their families. It is also a great happiness to see somany children and young people who have confidence in themselves,and workers who participate actively in the social life of Akamasoa inchoirs, sports activities, local meetings and prayer groups. I praiseGod for all these graces which he has bestowed on the entireAkamasoa team, in order that it might accompany the poor who havecome to us to rebuild their lives.From the very beginning, I was conscious that this work was achallenge which was beyond my own strength. This battle againstpoverty could only be undertaken with a team; a team which alsoincludes the poor themselves. We can say that poverty is in theprocess of being overcome in the Akamasoa centres, even thoughthere remains a great deal still to do. Our work is a drop of water inthe ocean of poverty that devastates millions and millions of familiesand children in the world. Our experience allows us to bear witnessto the immensity of the task. It allows us to assert that poverty94 P. OpekaVINCENTIANA 6-2005 - FRANCESE November 23, 2005 − 1ª BOZZAA family in its new house in Akamasoa (Madagascar) with P. Opeka.The wooden houses are disappearing little by little, but this depends,you can be sure, on people’s generosity.The Little Girl in Rags and Pope John Paul 95cannot be overcome once and for all and definitively, because humanselfishness is a reality in all times and in all societies. That is whypoverty is always a threat and future generations will always have tobattle against it. I reiterate: I object to the argument that poverty isinevitable, because that argument is merely a mask for not takingresponsibility. Battling poverty is the task of each adult, on behalf ofthe children. Accepting that selfishness can dominate is to toleratepoverty, and, therefore, working for development is in vain. But ourwork in Akamasoa has convinced us that, if we institute personal andcommunal rules to ensure solidarity and equity, in order to put someboundaries on human self-centredness, then this development workcan bear real fruit. These rules must deal with social relationshipsbut also with matters of economy, education and culture, for thecauses of poverty are to be found in failures in all of these areas. Ifthese rules are not established at the heart of each country andamong nations, then it simply becomes a matter of rule by thestrongest, which leads to the rich becoming richer and the poorbecoming more and more deprived of all that a human person needsin order to live life with dignity. That, unfortunately, is the realitythat we see throughout the world. States and InternationalOrganisations must commit themselves to this work of solidarity andequity, instead of intervening only at the last moment, simply inorder to assuage their consciences. More than isolated aid is neededto combat poverty. The poor must be ensured the possibility of beingable to work and to have their children instructed. It is anever-ending work. It is a work that cannot simply be done bytechnocratic means to get “quick-fix” solutions. Besides materialdevelopment aid, which must allow the poor person to work in orderto earn a living, this work is also humanitarian in that it demandsthat one give of one’s own humanity.The work of Akamasoa would not have been possible withoutprayer and union with Jesus Christ. Holy Scripture teaches us that“the poor of heart” put all their trust in God; they hand their livesover to him. The “poor of heart” are aware of their imperfections andtheir limits. So, they undertake to listen to the Word. Evangelicalpoverty is a quality toward which we must strive since it is theSource of Love and of Goodness, which opens us to the gifts of Godand disposes us to receive the graces from on high. It is by thisChristian education that my missionary vocation has allowed me toguide and sustain the perseverance of all, in order to support thetrials. The gospel nourishes our commitment to stand with the poorand to live with them, in order to understand their difficulties and tolove them. Our actions are not convincing, if we do not know how tobe with those who suffer and who await the life-giving word. It isthus that the miracle at the pool of Bethesda repeats itself daily. Theparalytic was alone and resigned to his fate, since no one came to96 P. OpekaVINCENTIANA 6-2005 - FRANCESE November 23, 2005 − 1ª BOZZAplunge him into the healing waters. When Jesus asks him: “Do youwant to be well?,” he asks the poor of our world of today: “Do youhave the will to heal in order to live?” It is because this mananswered the call of Jesus that he rose up, took up his mat and setoff, becoming the protagonist of his own life.Dear confreres and friends, I invite you to be with us by yourprayers. In the communion of the hope given by Jesus, your prayerswill give us strength to invite the poor to stand up again in order tolive in the dignity of the children of God.(EUGENE CURRAN, C.M., translator)97The Little Girl in Rags and Pope John PaulVINCENTIANA 6-2005 - FRANCESE November 23, 2005 − 1ª BOZZA

The Little Girl in Rags and Pope John Paul: The Start of an Adventure on the “Great Island”; the Poor Get Back on Their Feet

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The Little Girl in Rags and Pope John Paul: The Start of an Adventure on the “Great Island”; the Poor Get Back on Their Feet

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