Close to the children and the young people

With the end of the fratricide, Angola can breathe once again. It is more than two years since the skirmishes have ceased and peace has settled on all parts of this immense, rich and beautiful country. The people can once more move about freely and without fear of being attacked or robbed. You can travel safely at any time of the day or night. It is obvious that there is still a lot to be improved: the roads have not been repaired, telephones rarely work, the sanitary system remains precarious, a great number of children and young people have no classes to attend, even if a great effort has been made in education?
And we, the Marist Brothers, are celebrating 50 years of presence amongst these people.
In 2004, many activities have been organised to mark this anniversary. We started at the end of December 2003 with a gathering of all the brothers working in Angola to thank God for all the good that has been done during these years. On the 5th and 6th June, the Marist Olympic Games took place at Kuito. In July, for the first time, two young people made their first religious profession on Angola soil. Euclides Nangolo and Ricardo Francisco have committed themselves to the Marist life. Then, there were Marist Education Days. During this occasion, Marist educators reflected on the teachings of Champagnat, on Marist pedagogy and on current challenges. Finally, on the 14th and 15th August, more than 200 young people, meeting at Luanda, were challenged and encouraged to share in the Marist past and to dream about its future.