Fr. Antony KUNNEL MI

Fr. Antony

I visited Manou village not far from Makeni with the staff of Loretto Clinic. Here face to face met with a seen, I wont soon forget. People were sad and fear stricken as they witnessed the death of 30^th man of their village. The body was carried to the burial place by the burial team. This sight shocked me and as I hardly could close my eyes that night.

Survivors of this deadly Ebola virus are struggling with many side effects. I listened to Shan Kamera, a 22 year old college student who survived Ebola in the same village. He is struggling to cope with the impact of disease that killed 5 of his family. “Since I was discharged I have felt the pain in my eyes and cannot see clearly”, says Shan.

He narrated to me the struggles he encountered in the face of his return to community. They are avoided by friends, many have lost jobs. There are some here who have lost almost all of their family members. “It has never been so bad before”, said another member of his family. They complain of eye and hearing problems, weakness, joint and back ace, also some experience nightmares, and flash blacks. There are others deprived of their belongings.

Fratel Madhu

Two months that I spent in Makeni listening to their story of new life and visiting some of survivor families with the field worker gave me a sense of what is going on out in community and in individual’s life.

What do I say to him who has lost 12 members of the family in a week and 30^th man of the village? I encountered deep sadness. The most negative experience of survivors was witnessing other people dying in the isolation and they could see them fighting for life. In the Holding Centres suspects feel great emotional anxiety.

As I listen to survivors and bereaved in group sessions, its always long stories of Loss, Anger, Hurt, and Worry. Now that they have lost members they feel insecure and threatened. I feel A ‘New Language of Mission’ needs to be adopted here in their context of loss and pain.

Where God’s people suffer in the world, we Camillians must be present. I give thanks to the Mission Partnership that we share in Sierra Leone. Thanks to God who connects us in ministry with all God’s people.

EMERGENZA EBOLA

RASSEGNA STAMPA