The Big Lent Walk in the DRC
The Big Lent Walk is well under way and CAFOD’s Democratic Republic of Congo team has been visiting communities, walking and cleaning as part of their efforts. Merveille, a volunteer at CAFOD DRC, and Cesaire, Programme Assistant at CAFOD DRC, share why they are passionate about this initiative and why they are leading the DRC team in the BLW challenge this year. Will you support them?
“At team DRC, our theme for this year’s Big Lent Walk is fast, pray and give. During this period, we shall pray that God helps them to sow more beauty than pollution. We shall pray that God helps them in their commitment to care for Our Common Home and all its inhabitants and stand up for those who endure unjust situations in the DRC.”
Merveille and Cesaire share another reason why the Big Lent Walk is so important: this Lent period coincides with the Pope’s visit to the DRC, making it a powerful opportunity to get involved in the message of the Holy Father for the Congolese to reconcile in Christ and share compassion. Joining the Big Lent Walking Challenge is one of the best ways to put your faith into action and take a stand alongside your global brothers and sisters.
This year, CAFOD highlights Dristy and Rupali in Bangladesh who are building seed beds and planting palm trees to protect their home community from severe weather and natural disasters. The DRC team recognizes and honours this mission to sow beauty, not pollution and stand in solidarity with global efforts to care for Our Common Home and empower communities to flourish in the face of ever-growing challenges.
Collecting Waste
The team have also embarked on a further walk to make a practical and prophetic statement.
It was attended by the CAFOD team, joined by young people from the Ecological Club of La Sapientia University and those from the Congolese Union for Nature Conservation and Sustainable Development (l’Union Congolaise pour la Conservation de la Nature et le Développement Durable-UCCND).
Equipped with brooms, wheelbarrows and gloves, they carried out ecological actions in accordance with our main objective for the day: To Reconcile Man with his environment.
Activity1: Sweep the road and pick up plastic waste along the national road and avenues from Keshero to Goma covering a distance of 4 kilometres.
Activity 2: Visit the students of Karibu Primary school and the Keshero Institute (secondary). The team visited the courtyards of the two schools where trees provided by the “Goma, Our Common Home” project were planted. During this activity pupils, students and the CAFOD Congo team shared and reflected on how to raise awareness among the population of Goma with a view to ecological waste management.
It was an opportunity for students and their pedagogical supervisors to give testimonies on how they apply the achievements of the “Goma, Our Common Home” project in their households, schools, churches, avenues, and neighbourhoods of Goma in order to instil in the population an ecological culture at all levels and at all ages (children, young people, and parents).
Do you know a Big Lent Walker or a local school taking on the challenge? Search for them below!