After 33 years spent in Chad, this is the first time I am writing from Cameroon, where we have been since September of last year.

Working in the parish office for five months gave me the opportunity of learning a lot of Cameroonian customs before we went to Njindom, the village where the archbishop wished us to go, as no religious had ever been there before.

In the course of my pastoral work I meet many people who come to speak to me about their problems and difficulties, especially financial ones. I try to help them, especially when I see how much they trust me, although they hardly know me. What worries me is the poverty of certain families who can’t send their children to school even though it is compulsory. I try to persuade them that the future of their country depends on their children’s education. So they do all sorts of sacrifices to send their children to school, not an easy task, especially when the father has no job.

I also meet young people who come from other villages to attend the only technical school in our village. As they live away from their families, they rent single rooms where they live alone. Imagine the mixture of boys and girls. A real plague.

Many have no money to pay the rent of their room so they prefer going hungry and pay their rent than being sent away from school. My wish is to have some work to give them for them to earn some money, as I have always done, but first we must furnish the little house the archbishop gave us.

What about the schools? Old buildings with leaking roofs where there are no doors or windows and teachers are paid every so often and very little, as salaries depend on the pupils’ fees and when they are paid.

One of our sisters works in a health centre where medical instruments need to be replaced and increased as many are rusted and others are needed.

How much work could be done if generous people will have pity on us.

The biggest problem we have in this village is that we have NO water as the village does not have a well. People walk for miles and miles to draw water.

Before I close I want to say a big thank you to the Mission Fund and the Moviment Missjunarju for the help they give to Maltese missionaries.

May God bless their generosity and the sacrifices they do.

Sr Salvina Grech

152 Sisters Street

TARXIEN