My name is Cristina and I am writing to you from Dapaong in Togo where I have lived for almost 11 years. We live in the north, in the poorest part of the country, although this does not contradict the fact that Togo, like all of Africa, is a continent rich in hope thanks to its young population. I want to warmly thank those who are making the construction of this missionary centre for young people possible in Dapaong.
As I said, it is a project dedicated especially to young people. Why is that? Because we see young people here struggling a lot to get ahead in life and they need human and intellectual formation in order to be able to bring out all their abilities, strength, intelligence and creativity and offer them to others.
This missionary centre will be a place where young people can find the right space to receive training, conferences, moments of encounter and personal reflection, work camps, time together and moments of mission with other young people from their own country or from abroad. It’s a centre created for young people so that they can find the necessary elements to create a society that is fairer, more fraternal, and more supportive.
We started building it two years ago and I can say with joy that we have made progress. Thanks to the financial support of many people: families, parishes, religious communities, NGOs, we have already built a multipurpose room, an appatam (an African place of encounter) and a kitchen to support our activities. It would have been impossible without the help of each of those who have collaborated on this project and we are deeply grateful to each and every one of them. Thanks to this minimal infrastructure we have been able to carry out some missions, in the neighbourhood where the centre is located and we have planned several children’s camps and youth camps for this new school year.
God never stops dreaming when he sees all these young people who never give up. I thank God for participating in his Dream, and I ask Him to count on my life and on the community to make it come true, because I believe that Africa continues to be the hope of our world.
Cristina Salido
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