Harambee Africa International. Rome, October 27th

"Trust in Man and Love and be close to people of every condition. From these points of reference, the fruit of the teachings of St Josemaria, was born the Harambee Programme for Africa" This is the way the president of the new ONLUS, Giovanni Mottini defined the profile of Harambee Africa International, presented on the 27th of October in Rome.

“In the year 2002, due to the canonization of St Josemaria, we asked ourselves what we could do as Christians to leave a sign of his teachings. And we began to get involved in Africa, avoiding an aesthetic look -Mottini said- that is to say looking at the continent only from the point if view of its natural riches or avoiding altogether its beautiful part and showing only indigantion towards its dramas and staying well away from its problems. Instead Harambee International Africa looks to give a concrete solidarity, never from a distance, the solidarity of St Josemaria Escriva.

We began to get involved in Africa -Mottini continued- asking ourselves not so much what the Africans needed,but in what they were thinking, because we are convinced,along with Pope Benedict XVI,that the poverty is not only material but above all a poverty of hope". This is the reason why Harambee International Africa has promoted and sustained programmes in Africa “We concentrate in education,in improving its quality,because in this way we can cultivate the intelligence and the capacity of every one to improve his own destiny.The solidarity of Harambee by definition is less spectacular but very efficacious.

After the speech of Giovanni Mottini,the international coordinator of the new association -Linda Corbi-showed the results obtained by the projects launced by Harambee focussing especially on the experience of Kenya ”We have finished some days of study and work in Nairobi, where we could experience the potentiality of positive change that there is behind the programmes that we have financed to help the teachers in the schools,who are at times the only points of reference for the new generations”.