No One Should Feel Forgotten
People felt forgotten. They felt like the world had forgotten them and, especially, their children. That is what people told one of our missionary priests when he first arrived in a remote village in Zambia.
In the village, people depended on a large reservoir for fishing and survival, but even their water had to be fetched from it and boiled before it could be used. Finding safe water was a constant burden, and the sick had little access to even the most basic care. At the time, there was no school for the children and no resident priest to serve the people. Many believed that no one cared about them or their children.
“The world has forgotten us.”
Villagers in Zambia
You have not forgotten them.
Father Douglas Ogato, M.Afr., with children at St. Thomas Parish in Zambia.
With the help of generous friends like you, things began to change. Wells were drilled. Schools were built. A health clinic began caring for the sick. Today, St. Thomas Parish is active once again, and the presence of priests means the community is no longer spiritually abandoned. Building new schools shows the villagers that we care about them and their children’s future.
What was once a place of isolation and despair is becoming a place of life and hope, and it is made possible by people who choose to help.
Stories like St. Thomas are not limited to one village. Across Africa, in the countries where the Missionaries of Africa serve, the same needs are met and the same small miracles take place because of the generosity of people like you. The Missionaries of Africa are a Catholic missionary society of priests and brothers, and for more than 150 years we have lived and worked among the people of Africa, sharing not only the Gospel but also the daily struggle for dignity, survival, and hope.
When I say “we,” I mean the Missionaries of Africa and you. Every well, every classroom, and every act of care is made possible because someone decides that others should not be forgotten.
Your gift can help provide clean water, education, and compassionate care for our brothers and sisters across Africa. You will be helping people who truly have nowhere else to turn, and your kindness will send a powerful message to those who are suffering: you are not alone, and you matter.
That message is at the heart of everything we do as Missionaries of Africa, and it begins with people like you. Through your generosity and prayers, you share in this mission, helping ensure that no one is forgotten.
