Our program

Sponsorship from afar

Some examples

- Mozambique

- Ukraine

- Guinea Conakry (IT)

- Gulu,Uganda (IT)

- Anne’s story (IT)

Other projects

Study bursaries

14th February 2007
Guinea Bissau
Reportage from Catiò:
A visit to children sponsored from afar

Sponsorships from afar make all the difference to the lives of children and of their families in a village of Guinea Bissau: now the school is open all year round, and it has been able to extend by two the number of years of schooling on offer.

It takes about 6 hours to cover the 280 km that lie between the capital Bissau and the mission of São Bento di Catiò, 6 hours of dodging potholes of every shape and size that pockmark the rugged road. Our arrival in the town gives rise to much merriment; as our car makes its slow way through the town, we attract attention, especially from children who know us. They call out their greetings and run behind us a short way. Catiò has not changed in the least: the little market, the mechanic’s shop, the state school, and the piazza in which the old Portuguese church stands out, the tiny hospital …


In the morning, a visit to the school, open to children with the help of sponsorship from afar. They arrive eagerly, each carrying a satchel,and you realize that they are all brimming over with excitement for a much awaited visit that has been prepared for with care. They sort themselves into their classes, fromkindergarten to 6th year, many struggling against the urge to break out of their lines to get a better look at their guests: there are 200 of them. Looking at the various class groups you are struck straight away by the many pupils who stand out for their tallness among their classmates: children are often enrolled in the school at a later age, depending on their family’s needs and means.


But now, at last, the party can start! It’ s a warm welcome, and at the same time a big thank you to all of the sponsors, who from afar have given their support to Catiò! The youngest get things underway with traditional dance and songs, with the teachers joining in. The words of one of these songs runs: “Good morning my friend, how are you today? Our friendship will go on forever!” The youngsters of the 5th and 6th years have also prepared a dance and a song, and their performance holds their little schoolmates spellbound.

There is joy in meeting up again, in remembering each other’s names, and in being able, with our hands, to touch the continuing reality of the help given by Sponsorship from Afar through the Community of Sant’Egidio. The party over, the children, a group at a time, climb onboard the school’s van: we’re going to stop at each of their homes to greet their families and pose for memorable group photographs. We set off singing in chorus and journey through the town of Catiò amid smiles from the townsfolk, evidently amused at this odd outing by the pupils of São Bento School. On our way we notice the surprising number of children who are not at school at this time of day, but on the streets: the smaller ones at play, the older ones busy doing various errands. In each home we visit, we meet families that are very large in size: apart from the parents, there are often also aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents, and many, many brothers and sisters. Mothers rummage for a nice dress to put on and seek out a presentable corner of the house or yard to furnish a fitting background for the photo, which will be sent to the Italian family that has been sponsoring them. While we wait, introductions are made, small talk and jokes do the rounds.


Many express their gratitude for the help that Sponsorship from Afar has been ensuring them, above all for the opportunity given to their children to attend a good school – one that stays open for the entire school year. As it happens, schools in Bissau didn’t opened until 8th January this academic year because of a strike called by teachers, who haven’t been receiving their salaries regularly; last year, too, they only managed 2 out of 3 terms, to the serious detriment of their pupils’ education.


On the following day, these thanks are repeated in the touching words of Mr. Armando, who comes along with his two children in order to greet us. He hadn’t been at home when we’d called by to take the photograph, but he was keen to thank us in person: “I hope that the Community of Sant’Egidio carry on with this good deed – he says – because they really are doing God’s work”. He thanks us because he has seen the number of school years on offer at São Bento School extended beyond the 4th to the 6th class, and he dreams that one day there will be a secondary school here too. We share in Armando’s dream; it is our commitment for the future.