Nampula was the second stop in Mozambique for Sant'Egidio delegation led by Cristina Marazzi. Here they first visited some displaced families who had to flee their homes in the north of the country because of the terrorist attacks. Since 2017 the area - and particularly that of Cabo Delgado - has been the scene of terrorist attacks that have already caused the deaths of about 3,000 people and - according to IOM data - more than a million internally displaced persons. Only 30% have been sheltered in refugee camps, while the rest has been living thanks to the generosity of other poor families who have taken them into their homes.
The visit was moving, especially because of the stories told by the refugees. Some had to flee on foot from their villages, hiding even 10 days in the forest with elderly, disabled and many children. An elderly woman told how she managed to save herself by fleeing Mocimboa da Praia with her grandchildren and her blind brother, while two of her sons were killed in the attack.
All expressed gratitude for what they have received from the Community in recent months: hygiene and school material for children and young people, but above all food. Indeed, the greatest difficulty for displaced families is still food shortages, to the point that sometimes children can't go to school as they are too hungry.
Some 300 people gathered in Nampula for the occasion from the communities in the neighbourhoods and various districts of the region. Cristina Marazzi emphasised how friendship with the poor, including the prisoners Jesus identifies with, can change the world and build peace. She also affectionately referred to Nampula as the "capital of Bravo!", since the birth registration programme for children in Mozambique started here, and then spread to all districts of the region.
After sharing some moments of service with the poor - the School of Peace in the House of the Community and dinner with street friends - the delegation moved on to the Murrupula district, where an assembly of about 280 people from the 3 Communities of the district was convened after a visit to the School of Peace.
Someone described this visit as a Pentecost and a sign that no one is forgotten or distant in the Community of Sant'Egidio. Two elderly women took the floor to testify how the Community had saved their lives after being cut off from their children and relatives. As Cristina Marazzi said "Sant'Egidio is an embrace of peace".
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