JCAM

My name is Mwansa Chalo, a young African economist and entrepreneur participating in the Economy of Francesco 2022 event in Assisi, Italy. Looking back to this morning’s encounter with Pope Francis, I am hearing the words of the disappointed disciples who met the risen Lord reverberate in me

Through these experiences, I have witnessed amazing humanizing efforts in the social apostolate: empowering women in a society where they are excluded, violated or killed; ... and announcing the Gospel values of justice, solidarity, hospitality and love amid a broken and searching world.

As a young person in our parish, although not aware, the late Fr. Xolile Keteyi SJ helped us through his homilies and catechesis -especially during our preparation classes for the sacrament of confirmation - to make sense of the injustices that were around us at that time.

Our work for the benefit of the population is essentially based on a series of studies conducted to understand the population, the events and the context and to collect the needs, priorities and concerns of this population in order to transform them into a series of actions...

Growing up, living a true and genuine personal relationship has always been part and parcel of my experience in my family and with my friends.

Economically, the country was experiencing run-away hyper-inflation that set a new world record. There was shortage of basic goods in shops, and when they were available their prices simply prevented the majority poor from accessing them, especially given that many had been rendered jobless by the closure of several companies.

I first started with CEPAS to work on their Congo-Afrique journal, the centre's organ of communication which publishes articles on topics such as; the economy, politics, and social and cultural life.

For many years as I grew up, I lived by the conviction that my destiny was to develop myself in the engineering career. I grew up in a mining town, in Mufulira, Zambia and seeing the prospering lives of engineers of all kinds who worked for the mines, I felt attracted to the good life that those engineers led. At the same time, I grew up in a very Catholic family and so from very early on I had a strong desire to become a priest. So, for the first three decades of my life, my vision of life oscillated between serving my own personal career goals and the deeper goals of serving God and humanity.

My first involvement in HIV and AIDS ministry happened in 2003. I was sent as regent to the new Jesuit organization, African Jesuit AIDS Network (AJAN), created by the Jesuit Major Superiors of Africa and Madagascar and put under the leadership of Fr Michael Czerny. Being part of the infancy of AJAN became also the beginning of the journey into the reality of HIV/AIDS and issues related to it.

Père Stanislas’ concern is to make the children and youths living on the streets understand that children are not born of the streets, that life continues to be sacred, that family continues to be the basic unit of society and that each person has a unique value in the eyes of God. May Mgr. Munzihirwa intercede for the centre, which carries his name, so that we may give renewed spirit, joy and love for life to the so-called street children.