A White Father whose parish is in Ouahigouya in Upper Volta, West Africa came to CAFOD in London and asked for silos. Now why would he do a thing like that?
Upper Volta is in the luckless Sahel, that great belt of Africa so cruelly blighted by drought in recent years. This has led to people flocking to the towns for food hand-outs and to many of the young heading south to the Ivory Coast to find work.
The proper storage of grain in the outlying areas was clearly going to be a big part of the answer. So backed by local committees — which have to have at least one Christian, one Moslem and one other individual — Fr Damian Duggan VVF put up a pilot plan to build a silo in Naongo. CAFOD agreed to help. Making the bricks themselves and labouring for seven solid weeks, 25 local farmers built it. The joyful celebrations on opening day included four weddings and two baptisms.
CAFOD is the Catholic community here at home showing that we are all part of the ta world-wide human family. And so you won't be surprised that CAFOD has now agreed to help build four more silos in this vast parish. At Naamsigna, Thiou. Sim and Ziiga. Beautiful names. And a beautiful enterprise.
It was all possible because individuals, parishes and other groups made sacrifices, many through CAFOD's Friday Self-Denial Scheme. Will you help too? Please?